Reversal
by ngrey651
Summary: It's been years since Stitch landed on Hawaii, and a vibrant Experimental population, combined with the discovery of other worlds, has made the world a better place. But the world Lilo's ohana knows has a mirror image, waiting for any poor fool to try and cross over...and when a lab accident goes wrong, the trip down that rabbit hole into a world permeated in horror begins!
1. The Looking Glass

**Author's Note**

**When I first headed over to the library to post this story up on th web, I noticed the weather was eerie. There was a thick blanket of grey overhead, and silence seemed to be choking all around me, silence broken only by footsteps of me and construction workers who were heading off to their job. Then it started to...well...snow.**

**Weird. But I felt it was a sign. So without further ado, I created "Reversal"! I admit, I've mildly stepped into the "horror" genre before with "As The World Burns", but that was more like a suspense/action/drama story. Not that I'm not very PROUD of it.**

**Point is, this was rather new territory for me, so I apologize if it's not up to anybody's standards. As Bruce Lee said, I will only consider myself a master when I'm dead and in my coffin. Until then, I'm still a student, always learning. and I've learned this about this story. It is, without a doubt, THE darkest story I've ever made. And there are parts within that shall be disturbing. So I apologize in advance for that.**

**There's one thing more. Dearest readers...you shouldn't be afraid of telling me what you think of this story. I'm never gonna get better at this sort of thing without feedback. I wish for this story to be one that you can enjoy not merely as one primarily within the Lilo and Stitch realm of fiction, but that can stand proudly on its own merits. But if you feel it lacking in some way, please, I don't mind you telling me what I need to do to improve it.**

**So without further ado...enjoy.**

_"This inhuman place makes human monsters." Stephen King's "The Shining"_

_"The human mind has no more power of inventing a new value than or imagining a new primary color, or indeed, of creating a new sun and a new sky for it to move in." C.S Lewis, "The Abolition of Man"_

The mirror mocked him with his own reflection. It's very presence in the laboratory served as nothing more than a reminder of the owner of said lab's need to look herself over in the mirror to remind herself of how she was Science's gift to all the universe. A mirror was hubris.

No, that was unfair. A mirror was a tool for hubris. It, in itself, was nothing of substance. Nothing it showed belonged to it, all it could do was show what others held.

Yet he still hated it. Feared it.

But who was "he"? Well, "he" was a sky-blue alien being with a slightly-diamond-shaped nose and even lighter blue hair. It hung down beneath a red bandanna/cap atop his head in scraggly, poorly-brushed locks with a mood necklace in the shape of a peace symbol glittering pink on his chest, slightly stirring as he shook ever-so-slightly with anxiousness as he stared at the mirror.

He wore his usual white, sleeveless t-shirt and had put a pair of sunglasses over his yellow/golden eyes, unwilling to take them off, not wanting the mirror to reflect his soul as the neon green, rounded gems embedded in his paw/hands seemed to shimmer slightly, as if urging him to do what he'd come to do already and get it over with. Anything was better than this anxious waiting. ANYTHING.

He tapped the ground with his dark blue balled feet, turning to the side to look at her.

No regrets, her face insisted.

So with that...he slowly reached out with his four-digited paw/hand.

His hand touched the mirror.

And with that, everything turned to static, giving away at long last to the ringing of an enormous, lonesome bell that tolled as Frequency fell into the black abyss that stretched out like a maw beneath him, seeking to devour all.

But he would not take his sunglasses off. He was not going to give the darkness the pleasure of seeing the fear in his eyes.

**REVERSAL  
-**

**1  
THE LOOKING GLASS**

He sat inside of a psychologist's office, this green-scaled draconic being. A crest of silver spikes jutting from the top of his head as he folded his wings nervously to his emerald body, silver-tipped fingers nervously tapping against the chair he sat in. His white-pupiled eyes darted back and forth as his tail nervously beat against the chair, in sharp contrast to the calm, collected reptilian figure who sat in a soft-looking red chair at the far end of the room.

With various diplomas hanging high on the walls and several tables lined up with toys, books and what looked like Rorschach tests, the office of King, the Magician of the Major Arcana, was meant to be a "safe zone". The walls were robin's egg blue, calming and cheery like the serpentine being's hair, with gentle but firm piercing yellow/gold eyes gazing at the little dragon, three-digited, clawed hands clasped in his lap as he nodded firmly.

"Remember, I want you to feel you can be open with me about anything, Heartwing." King insisted. "I AM your friend. But I also believe in being as honest as possible with my patients...and with my friends, for that matter." He went on. "...Hershey kiss?" He inquired, holding up a small tray of Hershey kisses from a table by his chair that had his notepad on it?

Heartwing shook his head. "I've got to go to a barbeque after this and tomorrow I head to Izzy's laboratory with the others like I promised." Experiment 421 explained to the serpentine defender of the Earth.

"Well, that's very good of you. I'm always glad to see you're eager to learn more about Ms. Israel's experiments." King said politely.

Heartwing could see a momentary twitch in King's eye. He didn't need to be a shrink to know that King didn't like Israel von Hamsterviel. OR Judah, her brother, for that matter. The two of them were the absolute worst-behaved out of all the Hamsterviel children. Izzy freely engaged in mad science and Judah was...

Ugh. Judah...he got on everyone's nerves, but he was _o'hana_, and you don't give up on family.

"We're getting off the subject. Heartwing, listen, I'm trying to help you understand the difference between what's real..." King held up his notepad. It showed off the profile of a head with a big smile and the word "Dreams" located at the person's "brain" region with "reality" shown outside of the head. "And what isn't."

"I know, but..." Heartwing began. "But I'm telling you-"

"Heartwing, listen. The person you continue to talk about in our sessions. Why does everyone but you not know about him? Why are there no records of him? Why are there no pictures of him or movies of him in the news? If he really had done all the things you've said, why isn't there any trace of him to be found anywhere in the Universe?" King asked gently. "...what happened. Tell me."

"He didn't "magically disappear", I know you're thinkin' of sayin' that." Heartwing said, his face turning into a dark frown as his lip trembled slightly. He almost felt like he wanted to cry, nt simply from sorrow, but from pure, raw anger. He felt he was being treated like a child. "He's not gone-gone, he's...he's in all of us. At least, what he represented..." Heartwing said quietly, placing a hand on his chest.

"...what he represented...and that was?" King asked gently, silently urging the draconic experiment to go on with his eyes. There was no condescending tone in his voice, mercifully, so the emerald-scaled dragon continued.

"Potential. King, you're the MAGICIAN. Before you comes "Zero", the "Fool", who represents potential. You say I need to know what's real, but THINK about it!" Heartwing insisted. "If the Major Arcana is supposed to be made of 21 people, where's number #21? Where IS the Fool? You know the MA was founded by him, you know that, remember?" Heartwing begged, realizing he was very close to actually crying.

"Yes, but-"

And that was when it happened. A veil seemed to float over King's consciousness.

He could not, in all honesty, remember the name of the founder of the Major Arcana.

He could not remember a thing.

It was like his mind was a hamburger order that had been messed up...like several giant chunks of his memory had been picked out of his head and tossed aside by some phantom force that had decided no, it WASN'T going to eat the pickles, it had ordered NO pickles and by golly it was going to GET his sandwich without pickles even if it meant picking them off the burger with his own dirty hands.

"...hmm." King frowned and folded his hands into his lap. "...I..." He found himself suddenly experiencing something that was hard to pin down. A sense that he had lost something of infinite value. A feeling so terrible and deep that he realized he wanted to cry.

_I won't cry I Will NOT Cry I WILL NOT CRY __I! WILL! NOT!_

"Look, Heartwing, there is one more issue I need to discuss with you. I'm aware you've been skirting the issue out in town, but I want to talk to you about Heatwave."

Heartwing's black eyes widened, the pupils becoming tiny white pinpricks as his mouth formed a taut line.

"You may not be husband and wife, but thanks to Jumba's fiddling with your DNA she IS the mother of your children and you need to support her decisions in some regards. You need to be receptive to other people's ideas, especially if they're family." King added.

"I just...I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of her moving in with me. I mean, I live in a treehouse!" Heartwing admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, I...I'm not...this seems like...it's so much!"

"Heatwave has insisted that this is just a baby step that will help you two-"

"Too much! Too much too soon!"

King sighed, holding his head in his hands for a moment. Heartwing wasn't a coward, he just was too shy for his own good around "adult situations" like these. "Let us suppose...let us use our..." He held his head back up, holding his hands over his head, forming an imaginary rainbow in the air. "Imaginaaaaations. Suppose that Esmeralda wants to get her ears pierced?"

"...she DOES have her ears pierced. And her bellybutton." Heartwing stuck his tongue out in disgust. "What kinda weirdo even pierces people there?!"

"...bad example. Alright, suppose that little Chibisuke wants to go out for ballet even though all of his "children" expect him to be interested in things like, say, running track, or playing baseball or more traditionally "manly" events?"

Mistake.

Heartwing stood up, pointing angrily at the snake. "Hey! He can dance if he wants to! He can leave his friends behind!"

King suddenly realized what was coming next and immediately moaned and shook his head as Heartwing raised his hands in the air, proceeding to party like you just don't care. "**_Cuz his friends don't dance, and if they don't dance, then they're no friends of mine! Oh, Safety Dance! Yes, the Safety Dance! Oh, Safety-"_**

...

...

...

... "So I said "What if your son wants to take dance lessons", and Heartwing moonwalks out of my office singing "Safety Dance"!" King groaned as his head hit the counter of the bar, the smell of pee that was thirty years old lingering around the bathroom as a sodden "Silverlight" cigarette lay in an ashtray nearby. As a drunk slurred out "The price is WRONG" at the nearest plasma TV that hung in the corner of the bar, the bartender sighed, cleaning out a mug with a clean rag.

"I know how you feel. If my husband kept ignoring MY good advice, I'd hit him." The bartender agreed, her green-tinted black eyes glittering as she turned her head to glance momentarily at the TV across the way, her thick, long brown locks twirling slightly as she snorted out of her fairly large nose. Her round, mouse-like ears picked up what the man on the television was saying.

"Yeah, well I don't shave and I'm PROUD of it!" She hissed.

It was true. Green Jookiba Pelekai, the "High Priestess" of the Major Arcana never shaved her legs...or, for that matter, her hairy grey chest, which looked quite out of place with the dark green fur on the rest of her body. All in all, she looked considerably imposing unless she was wearing pastel tye-pants like she liked to wear on the holidays. Then she just looked ridiculous.

"You'd hit anybody who would ignore your good advice, you're a typically textbook case of "closed off alpha female"." King informed her. "I imagine the emotional walls only come tumbling down during-"

"King, if you don't want your next drink to be a serving of squid oil, I'd suggest you zip..." Green leaned in very, very close. "The..." holding up a single black claw as a tiny ember of flame danced on the edge. "...lip."

King shut up as Green's husband finally exited the bathroom, gagging as he waved his three-digited paw in front of his face. "Dear Lord in Heaven, how is it possible for a bathroom to go without being **cleaned** for so long?!"

The white-furred hamster/gerbil/rabbit thing muttered. He was some kind of strange blend of various mammals of the rodent variety, with long ears and surprisingly big feet, a long, tufted tail whisking behind his back as two antennae hung down from his head, curling up and quivering as if they were worms that were slowly dissolving under a magnifying glass.

This was Junior von Hamsterviel. He was in town to visit his wife and check up on his daughter Izzy. Junior was also the head of a league of worlds that were charged with keeping diplomatic peace through the galaxy. So needless to say, he had a lot on his mind besides the smell of Jack Daniels that was lingering in the air and the unshaven man that was grinning toothily at him from a booth nearby.

"Any planets want to blow each other up lately?" King asked, trying to make small talk.

"Nope, thank goodness." Junior said as he sat down next to the serpent anthro, his red and blue eyes smiling warmly as he looked into golden/yellow. "It's been...worrisome...trying to fill the void left by Grand Councilwoman Zoe's death, but I hope I've done her proud." He said, trailing off slightly, one paw digit tapping on the counter in nervousness as he bit his lip.

He missed Zoe very much. The Grand Councilwoman had been a model to him, she'd looked out for him so many times when he was just a page in the Galactic Federal Alliance. Now HE was Grand Councilman and he had no "safety net". What he had was an appointment tomorrow to inspect his daughter's latest invention which she insisted would revolutionize the field of multi-dimensional science.

That's what she had said the last time. But one didn't give up on family, after all.

...

...

...

... "Why would you think that the two of us are dating?" The black-haired, hazel/green-eyed girl inquired as she folded her arms, her long black hair billowing slightly in the wind as she sat outside of the bar, waiting for it to close so that they could take Junior, Green and King to the barbeque that the girl's mother was throwing. She used one hand to scratch the red crop-top she wore, the white flowers scattered across the fabric like the leaves that were circling around her feet, the other resting in one of her jean pockets.

"It's pretty obvious." Heartwing said simply, shrugging as he stood with Daveigh Pelekai, Lilo Pelekai's granddaughter. "You two rent movies, you go on walks, you do your laundry together."

"We basically do everything a normal couple does except...well...it." Ashton Edmonds, Myrtle Edmond's grandson insisted as he nodded firmly, standing on the other side of Heartwing, arms folded across the dark t-shirt he wore, momentarily adjusting the thick-framed glasses he had. His messy red hair was so thick you could have cut it off and used it as a mop to clean up spills.

"It?"

"...IT."

"Oh. OH." Heartwing made a face. Yecccch. They were talking about the "special hug" that adults did when they wanted to make babies...or, in experiment 627's case, when he had 10 minutes to spare with his wife.

"...not that I...haven't thought about it." Daveigh thought to herself. In all honesty, sometimes she couldn't stop thinking about him. It was almost turning into something of an obsession: how long until the two of them could find a spot to make out?

Oh, to hell with it. "LOOK! A two-headed man on a donkey going into that alley over there!" Daveigh quickly cried out, pointing with her finger across the street as Heartwing immediately turned his head and decided to check it out for himself. Thanking her lucky stars that the World of the Major Arcana was so gullible, Daveigh grabbed Ashton's arm as the two quickly slid into the alley behind the bar so that Ashton could start off by "motorboating" between Daveigh's recently much-more-sizable "girls". Had she hit a late puberty?

Ah, well. He didn't care. Love was great and Ashton Edmonds and Daveigh Pelekai were in it.

Green calmly closed the blinds to the back entrance, deciding to give Daveigh and Ashton some private time, chuckling a little as she heard the two knock over some trash cans in their frenzy. They'd gotten past the "Oh, I love YOU so much" phase and the "completeting each other's sentences" phase and were now in the "Make time whenever possible" phase. Next stop-

...

...

...

..."I think I'm pregnant." Daveigh managed to groan out as she stumbled out of the bathroom and flopped down onto the bed, Ashton's eyes wide with surprise as he tried to put on his glasses from the nearby bedstand.

"...wh-what now?" Ashton asked.

"I can't stop throwing up, I feel utterly nauseous and when I'm not throwing up I keep needing to use the toilet for...look, Ashton, I'm pretty sure it's morning sickness." Daveigh mumbled as she lay on her side, taking deep, heavy breaths, her chest rising and falling as she coughed slightly, shivering as she curled up by Ashton's side. "...how could this have happened?"

"...I...don't suppose...there have been other penises?"

"No." Daveigh said immediately.

Little tiny triumphant bells rang in Ashton's head before he found himself immediately screaming in blind terror inside his mind. The red-haired teen held his head in his hands, trying to keep from totally freaking out whilst attempting to clear through the thick fog of hysterical fear and terror.

Think. THINK.

"...four weeks ago." He realized. "Remember when we were swimming in the beach at night?" He murmured nervously.

...

...

...

... "Well." Green said as she gave Daveigh the test, nodding firmly. "You are absolutely, positively, most definitely pregnant." She informed the two as she sat in a chair across from their bed. "I don't mind doing these favors for you, it's GOOD you came to me so quickly." She told them in a kindly fashion, nodding gently. "Also, it'll help me with my future final exam for my nursing degree." She added with a hint of pride. "I need to write up an essay on a real-life teen pregnancy and this hands-on experience will be highly beneficial."

"It's so nice to know that we can be your case studies." Ashton said snidely as Daveigh looked at the little blue "X" mark on the pregnancy test. So it was true. She had a bun in the oven after all. "Mind at least telling us how this HAPPENED?"

"Hmm." Green rubbed her chin. "Well, I imagine that there was some...you know...unexpected friendly fire...though I doubt you honestly "invaded" the "home base", if you understand." She explained calmly, trying not to grin with delight at the nervousness that was clearly showing on their faces.

Awww, they looked so CUTE, holding each other's hands so tightly that they were almost crushing bone, flop sweat triggering on their foreheads.

"Like I said, despite you not "stealing home", there was something of an "air strike" on one of the outlying regions and it really is not uncommon for a woman to get pregnant even if there's no actual penetration." Green explained calmly. "If it makes you feel any better," she added, waving her hand in the air, "You're NOT alone. Approximately one third of all women in the US of A get pregnant in their teens, and 80 percent of it is unintended."

"This is just unreal." Ashton said angrily, biting his lip.

"I can't believe this is happening." Daveigh groaned, holding her head between her legs. "...Green, I'm scared. What am I going to do? I mean...should-should we...keep her?" She asked.

"..._her_?" Ashton suddenly said, turning his head to look at Daveigh, a soft, gentler tone entering his voice.

Green folded her arms, giving the two a calm, but firm look. "...I'm not going to tell your families about this, if that's what you're thinking. However, you GOTTA tell them what's going on yourself. They'll find out eventually."

"...we'll tell them. We...we just need to figure out how to break the news...right?" Daveigh asked Ashton. "I mean, we've seen our _o'hana_get pregnant all around us all the time, this is nthing we don't know everything about, right? We've had "the Talk" eighteen times. We can DO this."

"We can DO this." Ashton repeated.

**"We can DO this."**

...

...

...

... "I can't do this."

Israel von Hamsterviel, or "Izzy", was splashing water into her face over and over, panting slightly as her tufted tail swished back and forth nervously, the teal-colored antennae-like hair atop her head soaked with water that dribbled down onto her big nose, her amber/brown eyes saring back at her from the bathroom mirror, her labcoat reeking of sweat, grease and blood from a nosebleed.

"C'mon, Izzy, get a freakin' grip. You...ohhh, I can't do this!" She snarled, bashing her hands into the sink, making pain shoot through momentarily. "GAH...what was I thinking?" She groaned, holding one hand over her forehead as she leaned against the wall. "I've tested it so many times, yet why do I keep feeling that something's still not right?!" She grumbled.

"You never feel any of your work is "right". You always second guess yourself and your self-esteem's in the toilet." A distinctly accented voice rang out as a form rested it's body against the frame of the bathroom doorway, thick brown hair falling down in large locks as it's owner let out a "SKRONK" from his large nose, showing off sharp teeth.

"Judah, this is the girl's bathroom!" Izzy shireked angrily.

"I'm not IN the girl's bathroom." Judah said in a childish tone, waving his hands in the air in a "typical distressed girl" fashion, rolling his eyes and laughing slightly as he put one foot into the bathroom. "NOW I am." He then stepped out of it. "Now I'm NOT. Now I am, now I'm not-"

Izzy launched a toothbrush container at his head, and it collided and bounced off with a satisfying "THWIPPA-THWUCK" sound, making Izzy smirk in pride at her marksmanship skills as Judah left, Izzy following after. She needed her brother's help for this since she didn't have his near-limitless strength and the fact that she kept experimenting on her henchmen meant nobody else was going to lift the necessary components in place for the demonstration today.

And what a demonstration indeed. By 9:00 that morning, it seemed like all of her family was there in her laboratory, dozens of bodies packed into a dark red-walled box, machinery littered all around, seemingly important to the average onlooker. Mostly because the average onlooker didn't have a clue as to how mad science worked.

Gesturing with a hand, Israel von Hamsterviel grinned proudly at the largest object within the laboratory as people's gazes were drawn away from the tubes lining up and down a row of desks, drawn away from the odd-looking jars on the walls towards what could only be described as some kind of...

"This mirror?" Lilo Pelekai inquired, scratching her head. "Uh, is an evil clone going to pop out of this or something?" The young Hawaiian woman inquired, looking rather confused. Her brow furrowed as she approached it, taking a step forward, sandals clacking against the cold, red-tinted floor...

An ENORMOUS sword stopped her in her place, held up as easily as a twig by Judah's powerful arms as his long ears were raised up in alertness. "Uh-uh." He insisted. "Get back, get back." He insisted. "Nobody's allowed to touch it. That's Izzy's job: making stuff touch it." He explained as Izzy cleared her throat.

"Thank you for condensing my methodology honed over years of practice and study into mostly monosyllabic sentences, Judah." Izzy said, giving him a baleful stare. "Moving ALONG! I've been testing my latest invention over two weeks now." She informed them all. "In layman's terms, think of it as a window into alternate dimensions. Other dimensional portals have been strictly two-way until now...and all done in regards to worlds directly connected to ours."

Judah wheeled out a chalkboard that Izzy had drawn upon as the mad scientist cleared her throat. "Picture our world here." She said, pointing at a line drawn in the middle of the board. "Other worlds we've reached have been within alternate dimensions, but all with subtle "Branches" connecting our world to theirs." She added, taking a piece of chalk and drawing small branches from the line in the middle to a line above. "What this device does...is allows us to examine worlds that would normally be UNREACHABLE from our reality. Worlds so alien that up might as well equal down, that cowardice might as well be equal to courage!" She laughed.

She then drew a tiny little "submarine periscope" on the line, looking down at a line beneath it. "As I said though, it's only a window, and so far, only one realm's been slightly accessible. I have been able to monitor it though with this." Izzy held up a remote from her labcoat, grinning proudly as she pressed a large red "GO" button.

Instantly, there was a loud BANG noise and everyone instinctively ducked as something shot through the air, rushing along the ground towards the strange, mirror-like thing in the center of the room...a remote-controlled car with strange recording equipment attached, as alien in appearance as the shimmering mirror thing. As it reached the mirror-thing, it went about halfway through, the "trunk" region sticking out like it was mooning the audience and the car twisted left and right, getting camera footage.

This didn't last long. About a minute later, the remote-controlled car was violently repelled outward through the air, whacking into Junior's leg, making him cringe slightly. Izzy's fingers moved to a dial on the remote as the car made it's way to her, and she plucked it up, putting it on a table by a large video screen, taking a small disc from out of the recording equipment, popping it into a computer attached to said screen.

Lo and behold...such a sight greeted them.

It was, quite simply, the strangest thing that they had all seen. What the camera had recorded was a landscape that looked like it was from a post-apocalyptic movie, the skies darkened and cloudy, ruined buildings rising up as if to tear through the heavens, wretched and decrepit, half falling apart. There was a large lake nearby, steaming smoke slowly rising up from the surface, a foul, noxious-looking green color...

A sharp contrast to the ugly, dead-looking earth that the car was half-resting on. The entire world looked...dead. It looked like there wasn't a single trace of life, with reddish/brown grass seen in small patches around the grey-toned earth, and, most oddest of all, black snow falling from the sky.

No, no it wasn't black snow. It was ash. The camera had begun to become covered in thick ash as something suddenly moved, and what the audience had thought had been a tree stump turned it's head.

It's head that had no eyes two black slits across it's pale, dead face, a gaping, almost triangular mouth across it's skinless head.

Don't let it speak. Oh, please, dear lord, don't let it speak, Izzy found herself whispering in her head, realizing that she could not move to turn the video off. Her fingers just twitched as she could feel, FEEL a damning, furious sense of anger and bestial rage emanating from this thing that was looking at them now. It wanted to HURT them, she could tell, and if she didn't reach up and rip that disk out-

Providence intervened. The car had then been ejected from the mirror and Izzy let out a long, deep sigh as she turned to the others.

"As you can see, ah..." She stuttered slightly. "The-there seems to be a limited amount of time anything can be within this other realm. I've even tried tossing balls and inserting other objects into this portal I created, and I met with similar results. After 66 seconds, any item that's even partially entered the portal is violently ejected." She explained. "I'm working on extending that time, however, by trying to hone in on the dimensional frequency..." She went on.

"You're SURE this looking glass is...one way?" Lilo found herself speaking up. "I don't want this to turn into some kinda horror movie where we find out you made a DOOR, not a window...I've seen every Twilight Zone episode, read all the "Stephen King" novels, I know what I'm talking about when I say this stuff usually has BAD consequences."

Izzy shook her head vigorously. "No, no. I've kept this thing "open" since I first created it, and never left it unguarded or unwatched by cameras. NOTHING came through. If anything could get through, it would have done so by now." Israel laughed.

"Now?" Ashton whispered to Daveigh.

"Now." Daveigh agreed.

The two suddenly strode up in front of everyone, turned their backs to the mirror-thing and nervously cleared their throats simultaneously. "**Everyone.**" Daveigh announced. "We've decided to just get this out of the way."

"Get what out?" Lilo wanted to know as her husband's scythe-like black hair bobbed in the air, his arms folding.

"Is there something you...wait." Dibbun Membrane gaped slightly, the glasses almost slipping off the bridge of his nose as his jaws widened. "Don't tell me, you're..."

Daveigh smiled and hugged Ashton tightly with one hand. "We're...we're preg-"

And then something that was a blur of dark wrapped around her and Ashton and yanked them in like it was reeling in a fish. A scream in the pit of Daveigh's throat was quickly muffled as her head suddenly found itself in a dark abyss, sinking down into inky blackness with Ashton by her side-

Wait, no...they weren't totally gone just yet. Their legs...somebody was holding onto their legs, desperately trying to pull them back home as the thing tugging them down let go, seemingly satisfied that the pitiless black around them would do it's job for it.

Heartwing tried. They all tried. Well and truly they did. It had turned into some sort of sick tug-of-war contest with the dark abyss that was threatening to swallow the two teenagers up, Heartwing gripping Daveigh's legs, Junior gripping Ashton as Izzy found herself once more frozen to the spot, unable to move.

How in the hell had she not seen this coming? How was this possible? The crowd was desperately struggling to pull the two youths out, yet the 66 second mark had passed and all that had changed was that the crowd was now getting more and more tired...it was becoming harder to hold onto the person in front of them...grips were slipping and Ashton and Daveigh were sinking deeper into the depths of the black.

They all tried.

Well and truly they did.

Well and truly-

...

...

...

...Daveigh and Ashton awoke to the fresh scent of cold iron as a colorless building rose up in front of them, an enormous mental hospital with the words "Alchemia Mental Hospital" on a faded-blue sign to their right. Windows had been flung open, they imagined it was done to air out the rancid-looking building. A low, groaning noise filled the air and for a moment they thought back to that eyeless thing-

The wind. It was just the wind. It was funny how the groaning of the wind made one think about dying. Oh yes, nature was just a riot.

Wait.

Something wasn't right. There were no birds. There was no sun shining in the sky. There was nothing but a long, silvery-grey cloud thrown overheard like a giant blanket meant to tuck them into bed for an eternal sleep, with a faded little cobblestone path leading into the mental hospital as a set of double doors slowly swung in and out...in and out...in and out...

This colorless building had no life to it either. It also seemed dead, as dead as the dying man the wind seemed to represent with each new gust that filled their ears...

Wait.

Wait, there was a single light on. At the topmost level of the mental hospital, in a room at the far right. The faintest outline of a figure just barely visible. And if there was a person, this meant that there was a chance they could help. Anything was better than staying out there under the grey, just waiting for something to happen.

"Are we sure we want to go in there?" Ashton found himself asking as they slowly stood up.

"...no." Daveigh admitted.

They walked in through the door...

And instantly regretted it. The walls of the mental hospital were a faded yellowish/pink color of slightly cracked bricks and various decrepit, moth-filled coats hung from sharp half-rings on the walls like pale, long, pasty fish on fishing hooks. To their right they noticed an old wing of the hospital that had been abandoned first from the looks of it: there were cobwebs on the cobwebs and the color of the paint had faded so fully that only grey brick was left. Ashton pushed aside a small-looking wheelchair, looking around the building.

"Hello?" He tried to call out. Yet he found his lips wouldn't curve to make the sound. He couldn't speak. It was as if somebody had stuffed some kind of rag into his mouth. Why was he so afraid of trying to see if another human being was inside this hospital?

_Maybe it's because you already know the answer_

As they slowly moved down the halls, heading for the staircase at the far end of the seemingly endless hallway, they noticed something to their right. A tub of some kind, with a mechanized faucet located at the end with several strange black dials visible...and the tub was in oddly good condition despite the cracked ceiling above reflecting what had once been a pretty little children's drawing.

Suddenly they felt a deep sense of sorrow come over them. This hospital they were in had most likely been a children's mental hospital. The room they were in had once shown bright drawings of cowboys riding horses made of clouds across the skies, wooping and hollering in delight, broad, cheerful smiles as the sun glimmered overhead. Now even the hats on the cowboys seemed to have worms running through them-

What startled them more was in the tub.

Blood. There was blood dripping out into a small puddle from the faucet and into the hydro-therapy tub. Ashton gripped Daveigh's arm tightly as they took a step back.

DRIP...DRIP...DRIP.

"...stairs." Ashton whispered.

"Yeah. Stairs."

They walked back out into the dimly-lit hallway, turning to head to the stairs. Ashton had noticed something out of the corner of his eyes and he turned his head.

...hadn't he moved that wheelchair to the side of the hall? Why was it back in the middle?

...why was it facing them?


	2. Noblisse Oblige

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"A monarchy conducted with infinite wisdom and infinite benevolence is the most perfect of all possible governments." Ezra Stiles._

2  
NOBLISSE OBLIGE

_"So..."_

The serpentine "furry", King placed his hands together, rubbing them as he smiled gently at the blind Irken before him, the "Hierophant" of the Major Arcana bowing his head in shame. "That is the big secret you're disgusted with?"

"...I feel dirty simply admitting it." Darth spoke in his soft, slightly dark voice, shaking his head slowly back and forth. "I feel dirty, for I cannot...I cannot hold nobility in my heart the way others so easily can. Even when I do what is right, it feels as though it's for the wrong reasons, for self."

"Darithil...listen." King said gently. "I understand what the issue of the "self" is. You're quite right, putting "self" before anything else is remarkably selfish. But you aren't putting it before anything else. You're putting it EQUAL to the ideals you admire. This doesn't make you an evil being."

Darth's unseeing eyes slowly reopened as he looked up at the kind-hearted serpent anthro's eyes, King nodding sagely at the white-robed Irken.

"It simply makes you "human", same as the rest of us. Please...stop trying to punish yourself."

Heartwing, "World" of the Major Arcana had slipped into that giant looking glass in a desperate attempt to save his friends. He had been absolutely, positively sure he would end up in some dark oblivion that would have given the "Deep One" known as Cthulu nightmares. Then again, the powerful group known as the Major Arcana would have probably been used to horrors such as that. They dealt with nightmarish and evil beings all the time.

So what would our hero from a world filled with aliens, magical creatures and strange elemental forces face? A burning inferno of living lava? Would he perhaps awaken in a prison made of bloodied steel? A home made from the flesh of children with a witch waiting inside to cook him into a stew?

Nope. Instead, he found himself lying on top of crisp green grass that smelled like it had a refreshing mint flavor. Letting out a long, deep yawn, he rose to his feet, looking to the side to see Junior was lying on his side, groaning slightly as he lay in a field of dandelions.

"Junior, wake up." Heartwing insisted, carefully shaking his friend back into the world of the living. "We need to find the others." He told Junior, who rubbed his red and blue eyes as he rose to his feet.

"...I think...you need to look to your right." Junior murmured out, eyes widening as he raised a paw digit to point at a glorious sight before them.

Heartwing turned his head, gazing in awe at a positively stunning castle that glistened like it was made of the finest pearls. It was a structure made entirely of varying shades of white, some pieces of the castle a milky color, some as dazzling as a star in the night sky, others pearly as Heaven's gates, and some vaguely transparent like a cloud. The center of the castle was an enormous tower rising into the heavens with an enormous, glittering silver bell atop it, ringing in a light, gay tone that gladdened their hearts with each chime.

And the courtyard they stood in...

Oh, the courtyard! They'd never seen such a beautiful array of white flowers! It didn't seem possible for such breeds to exists, but there were lilies, lilacs, sunflowers, tulips, even the dandelions Junior had been laying in were a fine shade of white. It was all so bright and dazzling it actually hurt their eyes somewhat to gaze upon it.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Junior whispered to Heartwing as he and the draconic experiment slowly approached the enormous set of double doors that led into the castle. Noticing a large knocker on one of the doors, Junior gripped it firmly and banged out "Shave and a hair cut".

Or rather, he tried to. But no matter how hard he rapped the knocker against the door, no sound came out. How odd.

"Two bits!" A voice called out cheerily, poking it's head THROUGH the door as easily as one passes a hand through water. What greeted them was a cheery, blue-furred face with brilliant yellow eyes that seemed to glow like lanterns, a red, vaguely pirate-like cap atop the head they belonged to.

"Duuuuuude! My dad-in-law and my absolute favorite pacifistic dragon in the whole world! 'Course, I think you're, like, the only pacifistic dragon in the whole world, but still..."

"FREQUENCY?!" Junior exclaimed, blinking in surprise. What in the heck was the bounty hunter doing here?

"Can'tcha read the sign, man?" The surfer boy asked.

"...what sign?" Junior inquired, scratching his head.

The light-blue-haired assassin blinked stupidly for a moment, then seemed to realize his folly, quickly ducking his head back through the door before popping back in place, slapping a sign onto the set of double doors and promptly vanishing again.

"Knocker Out of Order, Please Ring." Heartwing read out loud. The dragon scratched his head before turning to look around for a cord or rope to pull-

There! To the far right there was a big button. Heartwing pushed it, and a doorbell rang out a lovely rendition of "Close to You". The door slowly opened inward, revealing an enormous main hall with a fine crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling that was so immensely huge, it's dangling crystals so large, that just one of them looked as big as Heartwing's head. There were two stairways leading up to a deck, behind which was a set of double doors leading to a second floor hallway, with various first floor hallways stretched out all around.

And there was a smell...no, a scent. A heavenly aroma of freshly-baked cookies and milk was lingering in the air, a smell of innocence and nostalgia which gave them a feeling of peace. This place felt as natural to them as if they were in their own bathrooms, and as such, they weren't the least bit surprised when a familiar-sounding voice greeted them, making them look up at the deck of the second floor.

She was daintily dressed in a bright white dress with a fluffy bodice, necklace and ear-rings of pearl, white fur lined gloves and a pair of slippers decorated in patterns of diamond studs. On top of her head she wore a quaint silver crown decorated with a single blue sapphire. She had faintly peach-toned skin, and eyes as brilliant a shade of sapphire as the one upon her crown, her hair falling down to the back of her neck, ending in a vaguely fiery red.

"Hello." She said sweetly, noticing Junior and looking upon him with great interest. "My, my, my! What a FINE shade of white you have." She complimented. "And..." She looked at Heartwing's chest, seeing the white heart insignia upon his silver chest. "Such a brilliant shade of white that heart is!"

"Oh, it's crystallized light energy." Heartwing said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, blushing visibly. Hearing the words come from his lips made the woman gasp as several men dressed in bright white armor rushed forth to her side.

"Milady, we heard someone enter the castle, is everything-oh! A dragon!?" The apparent captain of the guard growled, stepping forward, clenching his clawed fists tightly, his blue-tinted eyes a-blazing.

"It-it is nothing to worry over, All is well, Kualil'i." The woman insisted. "These are just some new guests, most likely seeking shelter from the crisis. I must say, I've never encountered a civilized dragon before." She admitted, looking Heartwing over. "I thought they were all extinct...are you the only survivor?"

"Actually, ma'am, we aren't even-" Heartwing began.

"She is the White Queen." The brown-haired, white-furred Kualil'i said, slamming his fist onto his hair chest, long ears pressed against his head as he ever-so-slightly bore his teeth in a light threat. "Address her as nothing else."

"Very well, uh...White Queen..." Junior began. "My friend and I are not even from his dimension. My daughter, Israel von Hamsterviel, had created an invention she had been sure was a window into other realms. We found out by accident it was really something of a door." He said, shrugging slightly.

"Oh my, so lost from home?" The White Queen said gently. Her face, Heartwing thought. She looked almost exactly like their friend White's wife, Ms. Nightshade. And that Kualil'i, he looked so much like their friend, Grey, the "Strength" of the Major Arcana-

In thinking about Grey, Heartwing suddenly remembered there had been somebody very close to him when Daveigh and Ashton had fallen into the looking glass, somebody who had been to his left...Green.

"Wait...Junior, where's Green?" Heartwing realized out loud, turning to face him, eyes filled with fear.

"Gre-oh no." Junior whispered, holding his head. "She was holding onto Ashton and Daveigh too when we all slipped...do you think she's with them now?"

"Green? Who is this "Green" you speak of?" The White Queen asked. "Well, why don't we all sit down for a nice spot of tea with my dear friend the Hatter..." She strode behind Heartwing and Junior, placing her hands on their shoulders, "And we can have a nice chat?"

...

...

...

...Green Jookiba Pelekai awoke with bells ringing in her head, a splitting migraine, and the vague realization that she was lying in an alleyway that had the absolute most foulest smell that had ever invaded her considerably large nostrils. Gagging slightly, she rose to her taloned feet, resting one clawed hand against the wall to get her bearings.

She immediately regretted this, for there, before her eyes, hanging from a fence made out of what appeared to be barbed wire, was what could have only been described as a mutilated corpse.

Green looked at the wounds, taking a few cautionary steps back as if fearing the thing would spring to life. What sort of monster could do this? The face, what was wrong with the face? It appeared to be almost eyeless, with nothing but a vague, sunken in hole of some kind in the center of it's head, a mouth stretched open in agony below. Were it not for the shape of the head, the rib cage and the intestines dangling down from the body like broken chains, it would have been impossible to tell this thing was...had been...human. With torn flesh hanging down like torn tissue paper across its body, Green could only wonder over and over again,

"Who could have done this?" She whispered.

Most cruelest of all, the arms were stretched out. Whomever had done this had not simply mutilated this human, but had crucified them first, as if tearing off anything below their rib cage hadn't been enough, oh no, they had wanted to go the extra mile. This was-

Sounds. Nearby. People talking and laughing. Green turned her head down the alley, noticing a doorway with a faintly-lit sign above it that was so old it was nearly impossible to make out what it said. It vaguely looked like the entrance to some kind of bar...

If the people in that bar had been the least bit responsible for this...there was no way they could have not noticed it. The smell alone would have given it away. Green found herself angrily storming to the door, quickly pushing it open with so much force she almost knocked it clean off it's hinges-

And was greeted by one of the strangest sights she had ever seen. People were sitting around in a karaoke bar, a trio of differently-colored lights casting rays down onto the stage as a woman, microphone in hand, readied herself to sing. Her dark hair had a grayish/blue tint to it to match the enormous cross upon the shirt she wore, and her eyes had something wild within them, like an untamed beast was watching from the inside of a zoo's cage.

The music on the nearby karaoke machine began to play as the woman began to sing. At first, she started out softly, in a faintly echoing voice, yet despite the quietness of her tone and the friendly atmosphere that filled this bar, the song felt oddly haunting to Green's ears.

**_My name is Mary Magdalene...  
I come from Palestine...  
Please excuse these rags I'm in,  
But I have fallen on hard times..._**

_**But long ago...I had my work...**_  
_**When IIIII was in my prime!**_  
_**But I gave it up...and all for Love...**_  
_**It was his career...or miiiine!**_

_**Jesus loved me...this I know!**_  
_**But why on Earth did I ever let him go?**_  
_**He was always faithful, he was always kind,**_  
_**But he walked off with this heart of mine!**_

The girl on the stage suddenly noticed that Green was there and stopped singing, giving a glance at the man who was manning the karaoke machine to turn the music off. She rested one hand against the stage wall, giving Green an amused look, a smile dancing on her lips as the others in the room slowly turned to look at her. "Well, well, what's with the lack of shirt? Goin' for the "natural" look? No, wait, lemme guess. You're one of those feminists who think that bras are "torture devices"."

"Did...did you not SEE that thing outside on that barbed wire?" Green finally brought herself to ask.

"See what thing?" The girl asked calmly as the others looked around at each other as if they honestly hadn't seen anything. "Honey, you sure you haven't been drinking? There's no barbed wire out there."

Green frowned angrily, pushing open the door and pointing outside. "That BODY right there! Don't tell me you don't see it!" She snapped angrily.

The woman on the stage sighed and hopped off, sweeping by Green and going out into the alleyway, Green following after, yet even though the woman was staring right at the barbed wire fence with the body upon it, she didn't even appear to be remotely bothered by anything.

"You don't even smell it?" Green asked, looking clearly disturbed...and confused.

The young woman turned around and gave Green a look of understanding. "Oh. I get it." She said sympathetically. "You're one of the "early stages". You've been infected."

"Infected with what?" Green asked, looking angrily from the young woman to the body. "There is a BODY hanging from...how can you not see that?"

"It's alright." A voice said gently, patting her on the shoulders. She turned around, gazing into a kind pair of eyes as a pair of hands reached up, taking her cheeks. "It's a good thing you ended up here. I'll help you."

And with that, a thousand different sensations seemed to run through Green's body as she shook rapidly, her body making spastic twitches as her eyes shot wide open, mouth opening in a wide, silent scream...

Darkness...

Silence.

King the Magician of the Major Arcana, watching from afar, gazed in surprise as Green's unconscious form hit the ground, a moan slowly rising into the air as the white-haired person who had touched her gaped in surprise. "It...it didn't...what in the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks?"

"Then she's NOT infected? She must just be out of her head. We can't very well leave "Au Naturale" here." The dark-haired woman insisted with a faintly kind tone, a sad look on her face. "She needs to be dropped off at a mental institution or-"

"Or, I could just do this." The white-haired young man said, clapping his hands, then spreading his arms wide.

And King's eyes became wide as saucers as the words from the man's mouth drifted through the air, and memory suddenly shot back into his brain with the force of a cannonball. Memory of a dear old friend who might as well have "magically disappeared", memory of a miraculous power that this man shared with this dearest of friend.

"...how could I have forgotten?" King whispered, falling to his knees, holding his head in his hands. "...oh, _forgive me..._" He murmured, tears slowly coming to his eyes.

...

...

...

... "Great Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Wales...you may consider us the most royal kingdom of all. Our countries practically founded what most people know about monarchies. I admit it's...really something I get excited to think about." The White Queen said to Heartwing and Junior as they raised a glass of tea up to their lips along with her.

"You sure like the color "white". You even named your head knight after a shade of White."

"His name is very PRETTY." The White Queen said with a giggle as Kualil'i nodded in agreement.

"So, oh White Queen, this...country of...Carolina, you reign over, you say it's been mostly unaffected by this "plague"?" Junior inquisitively inquired. "What exactly does this plague do?"

"It's something that seems to drive those afflicted mad. They see things that aren't there. Smell things that aren't there. Feel things that aren't there." She shook her head, sighing deeply. "Our finest doctors can treat the symptoms just barely, but curing it is beyond our power. Not that Yurp hasn't tried hard."

Heartwing leaned back in the enormous, plushy, white-tinted couch he and Junior were sitting in within the "tea room" of the White Queen as Kualil'i sat on a nearby chair, calmly munching on some chocolate chip scones. "Yurp? Another kingdom?"

"Yes. You see, it was a matter of breaking down barriers. Our entire world consists of not so much hundreds of countries so much as a handful of kingdoms nowadays. Makes things much simpler, and most of the rulers do a fine, fine job, like Lewistania's king, Eric." The White Queen held up a sugar cube, dropping it into her tea. "But Yurp, well...that's another story. Their leader is not exactly...nice."

"She's a horrid person." Kualil'i spoke up suddenly, digging his claws into the chair he sat in, brow furrowed. "Her and her daughter."

The captain of the guard, The queen's "White Knight", leaned back in his chair, speaking quietly. "I remember the first time my queen went to a summit meeting. It was two years ago...after she'd taken over control of this country..."

Memory filled Kualil'i's mind as he began to recount the tale, a tale so vivid that it almost seemed to play out before Heartwing and Junior's eyes like a Broadway performance.

The incident revolved around Melanie, the Red Queen, or more to her preference, the Empress of the Yurpean Empire, a tall woman reaching the wrong side of thirty. Everything about Mel seemed to indicate one thing: she was trying harder at appearing to be a queen than at actually being a queen.

Regrettably, her daughter wasn't much better. The Yurpean Princess Coraline was a short and rotund child that appeared to be better fed than any other Yurpean child in the Kingdom. She wore a tin-plated armored jacket with fur padding beneath; a purple gown with a black fur bodice; a thick, purple fur skirt to cover up her mutton legs; a pair of thick white fur lined gauntlets and boots and of course a heavy white cape made from genuine polar bear skin simply for show.

"Show-off." Kualil'i remembered Princess, the head of the United States saying as she passed by Mel, patting him on the back. "Hey there, Mighty-Whitey. How's the Little Princess?"

"Just fi-"

"Well that summit was as un-enjoyable as the rest of them! That dickward Sugazvilli had a lot of nerve to call me out like that!" Mel said loudly. Very loudly.

Kualil'i groaned and turned away as Coraline: saw the young daughter of her mother's rival monarch with the white-furred Experimental American and her a white-furred, rabbit-like being wearing a tight-looking vest were looking at a nearby painting that showed off the various rulers of the world. "Hey…that girl there. She's that Sugazvilli's jerk's daughter." Coraline whispered to her mother with an evil grin.

Their head general adjusted the cap atop his head, his partially-bearded face frowning. "Princess Coraline, whatever you're thinking..."

She wasn't even remotely listening. Coraline advanced slowly holding up her small scepter and in a flash struck the young Princess with it across the head to the ground. Pretending to be shocked, Coraline held her hand over her mouth, grinning inwardly. "Oh no, my scepter must have slipped! My bad! Sorry! Hahahaha!" She laughed, her mother joining in.

"What...ARE...you doing?!" Coraline's cousin, Annamarie, a nice-looking, wheelchair-bound girl snapped furiously, dark blue eyes balefully gazing at her cousin. (she and Mel laugh uproariously)

"My princess! Oh dear, oh, dear..." Kualil'i said in a concerned fashion, kneeling by the black-haired princess, helping the young child up as Mel casually leaned on her own scepter.

"Oh, excuse me! If I'm not mistaken, you're the Princess of Lewistania! I feel sorry for you, kid! I mean, to have such a pathetic father, HA-HA-HA!" Mel laughed, high and cold and cruel.

The rabbit-like being stood up, her red and green eyes furiously glittering as she reached to take off her glasses and crush them in her paws. "Damnit, Krump! What in the HELL you think you're doing?!"

Kualil'i remembered reaching for his lance when suddenly the princess's voice spoke up, soft and pleading. "No, stop, White Rabbit! I'm fine!" She said, nursing the bruise upon her forehead. "The fault's fine." She said, bowing to Coraline. "I was in your way, your highness. I apologize."

Annamarie gaped in amazement. "That's quite a kid. At a world summit like this, tensions run high. The slightest argument can cause all out war. Such a wise child...she truly understands what it means to be a queen."

Coraline and Mel nervously scoffed, storming off with Coraline waving her hand in the air. "What an annoying little punk! Spainco, Annamarie, we're leaving!" She snapped.

Annamarie bowed her head at Kualil'i and the White Rabbit. "Please...forgive us." She said quietly before she headed after her cousin.

Wait. A female white rabbit...with green and red eyes? Junior thought to himself, scratching his head. That sounded almost like-

"Oh! White Rabbit, you've brought scones?" The White Queen asked happily as a new figure entered the rom, wearing a tight orange vest to her body, her tufted tail trailing behind her as Junior and Heartwing turned to gaze in surprise at Junior's daughter, Ember von Hamsterviel.

...

...

...

...the walls of Alchemia Mental Hospital seemed to get better and mercifully, more well-painted as Ashton and Daveigh climbed up the flight of stairs leading towards the one floor which seemed to possess some living beings upon it. That image of the solitary light on was burning in their minds, a single flame of hope they were desperately trying to keep from getting snuffed out.

As they pushed open the doorway leading onto the second floor, they found, sure enough, that the walls up here were in much better shape. There were no cracks whatsoever, and the paint appeared to be almost totally fresh. Even the smell was much nicer, there was a faint aroma of vanilla lingering in the air, wafting out, perhaps, from vents that weren't half-covered in spiderwebs.

They carefully made their way down the hall, heading towards the corner, a faint light emitting just around it. It wasn't that far now, Ashton thought to himself as Daveigh nervously looked down at her stomach, stopping in place for a moment. She was scared. Normally she was almost never scared, but this was different. For one, she didn't like hospitals.

At all.

And another, if this place was dangerous, it was not merely her life that was on the line, nor that of Ashton. Now she had the child growing inside her to worry over. She knew it wasn't even more than two weeks old, but already she was picturing it's smile...picturing the way it's little hands would grab around her finger as she and Ashton gently lowered her into her crib-

Yes...a girl. A beautiful baby girl. She had to be extra careful for the sake of little Sophia Daveigh Pelekai...

Ashton saw Daveigh stop in front of him and nervously reached out, taking her shoulder. "...you doin' alright?" He quietly asked.

"I'll be fine." She said at last. "I just...I wish we had some weapons or something in case...you know." She trailed off. "This whole thing feels like a horror movie and being in a group of two is never "safety in numbers". I have expect my head to be taken off the moment I cross this corner..." She said.

"We'll go together." Ashton offered, taking her hand and squeezing it slightly. "Count of three?"

"As in on three we turn the corner?"

"No, as in one, two, three, THEN turn."

"Okay. One..."

"Two..."

"Three..."

They turned the corner. There, sitting in an office, was a greenish-skinned insect-like being that was reading a copy of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". He was unmistakably some kind of Irken, a male one with vaguely maroon, almost ruby eyes who was wearing a simple reddish, almost mauve robe with some kind of mysterious blob of food pasted on the front. The Irken looked up from the book, hearing them approach, and smiled.

"Sk-SKOODGE?" Ashton asked.

The Irken blinked in surprise. "You know my name? I've never seen you before."

Ashton's mind raced. This realm they were in was some kind of alternate dimension. Clearly one that shared more in common with their world than they thought. He didn't want this Irken or anybody else asking questions, the more they knew about this world, the more comfortable they'd feel about speaking of their own.

Ashton's eyes fluttered over at Daveigh with an look of "trust me" in his eyes before he quickly turned his eyes back to Skoodge. "We've heard about you from friends in the city. We're lost, Mr. Skoodge sir, and we'd really appreciate somebody telling us where we are and how we can get back home. Our car crashed some miles away and we've just been walking for so long, I don't think-"

Skoodge held up a clawed hand, giving them a gentle smile. "It's alright." He insisted kindly. "I'd be happy to bring you to safety. You're lucky you're here, at one of the entrances to the Holy Irken Empire."

As they headed into the brightly-lit office, Skoodge walked over to a nearby closet, opening up the door...revealing a hidden elevator. Ashton and Daveigh stepped inside with Skoodge as the elevator descended down...down...down. Darkness blinded them, their senses almost drowning in inky blackness as the air seemed to get thicker and thicker, Ashton coughing madly as Daveigh tightly gripped his hand.

And then...they found themselves in some kind of underground world. A settlement was stretched out over huge plains of grass underneath a towering cave ceiling, a crystal-clear lake to their right, a waterfall entering it's contents into it in a steady stream. They stepped out of the elevator, walking past a large group of humans and Irkens who were tending to various animals, brushing their fur coats or, in other cases, shearing them. A smell of milk and honey lingered in the air as several humans walked by them, carrying thick baskets filled with various cheeses, meats and vegetables, preparing for a feast.

Not that it looked like they needed one, Ashton thought as several dozen Irken babies, smeets, raced after the people with the baskets. Most of the humans here all appeared to be very well-fed. Or, in layman's terms, their guts were so big they probably hadn't seen their own feet in a year, long enough to declare them legally dead.

To the right were other Irkens who were all kneeling in a circle, talking with each other as one of them held up a book in the air, a cheery expression on his face. The circle itself was arranged within a circle of flowers, each a different shade that was carefully arranged, meant to give off the impression that a rainbow was enveloping those within. The Irken who held the book in the air was not really sitting in the circle so much as above it...atop a purple and blue-spotted mushroom, an odd-looking kind of pipe to his side.

He was a white-robed Irken with what appeared to be two monocles on both his eyes...no, they WERE his eyes. Little golden chains dangling slightly off from pale white, almost silver orbs as a pair of balled antennae bowed down over his vaguely sap-green skin, clutching a copy of "Story of B". "So, who'd like to talk about this memoir for today's reading discussion?"

One very small Irken held his hand up and began to speak. "...Mr. Quinn's book has..." The tiny, ting thing hesitated. "...h-has ruined my life." He finally got out, looking at the copy of "The Story of B" in his hands. "That's it! This...this is the worst thing I have EVER read!"

"Zim, please, calm down." The Irken sitting atop the mushroom insisted.

"NOTHING in my life is the same anymore!" Zim went on, speaking like he was a young child and had learned there was no Santa Claus. "Music doesn't sound the same! FOOD! Food doesn't taste like anything anymore!"

"Oh great. He's going to commit suicide again." A female, purple-eyed Irken remarked, a faint British accent lingering in her voice as Zim promptly ran for the lake, intent on drowning himself. She sighed, calmly getting up and walking over to pull his head out of the lake.

"Well!" The Irken atop the mushroom called out, noticing Skoodge. "Who are these two new faces?"

"I'm Daveigh. This is Ashton." Daveigh said, bowing respectfully. "And you are?..." She wanted to know.

The Irken smiled, rising up into the air, suddenly STRETCHING like a rubber band, spreading his arms wide as he smiled lovingly at the two humans, gesturing at the beautiful settlement around them. "Welcome to Settlement A113 of the Holy Irken Empire! And you may call me...Caterpillar." He said in his soft, gentle voice. "Come!" He told the other Irkens. "Bring us meat and wine! We've guests to make comfortable!" He informed them, his long, serpentine body towering over them all like a giant, white pillar.

"Oh, you...don't need to do all that for us." Daveigh said nervously as she and Ashton were led towards a series of homes, the Caterpillar snaking his body down to gently pat them on the head.

"Ah, we always make sure humans feel welcome in the Holy Irken Empire. We've fallen utterly in love with your species. You're as welcome to stay as long as you like!" He said, bowing deeply, jumping off the mushroom and returning to his "normal" size. "I must say, you seem...familiar." He added, looking upon Daveigh. "...why, if not for the fact you're considerably older...and those eyes, they...yes, yes, you could be her twin!"

"...who's twin?" Daveigh wanted to know.

"I'd be happy to let you join us on a trip to see just who I'm talking about. Since I rule over all of East Asia, I'll be present at the summit at Shepherd's Glen that occurs the day after tomorrow." The Caterpillar explained. "We've got to discuss how to deal with a terrorist that's been wreaking havoc...and we need to worry about combating a terrible disease."

"There's...something else about the disease that all of us fear." The White Queen added as Ember winked knowingly at Junior and Heartwing, sitting by the White Knight. "It does not merely make you see strange things on the walls or hear odd noises. Once infected, you begin to see innocent people as monsters, and when the disease finally runs it's course, then you, yourself...become a monster."

"Isn't there a cure?" Junior asked, looking clearly concerned.

"There's only one person who's been able to cure this disease." The Caterpillar said solemnly.

"Who's that?" Ashton wanted to know.

_"...we'll be talking about how to destroy him tomorrow." _


	3. Princes of the Universe

**REVERSAL**  
-

_"If men were angels, no government would be necessary." James Madison._

3  
PRINCES OF THE UNIVERSE

* * *

_"What seems to be the issue that brings you to my office, "Emperor"?" King inquired, resting back in his firm yet comfortable psychologist's chair, steepling his black claws together, an imaginary eyebrow raised._

_"..." The Emperor of the Major Arcana said nothing, the blue-skinned, vaguely reptilian imp nervously beating the back of his black-taloned feet against the couch he sat in as he chewed on his lip with sharp, razor-pointed fangs._

_"I would have suspected something along the lines of, perhaps, you becoming concerned with the punishment for sinners. Or, perhaps, your anger over your servants not doing their jobs. Yet as I look at you..." King rubbed his chin thoughtfully, nodding sagely. "I sense something...of a more personal nature."_

_"I...feel like...I'll be alone, in Hell, at my desk. I'll be ready to sort out another sinner to their new position in Hell." Snizzi explained, his orange-gloved hands spread wide. "And then I'll just look at one of the faces of the condemned and suddenly I'll...suddenly-I just..." He stuttered, trying to regain his composure._

_It was then that King noticed something, and his inquisitive tone became softer, more receptive. "You're crying..."_

_Snizzi held his hand to his cheek, unable to feel the tear through his glove as he wiped his eyes a few times. "I just don't...I can't understand why. I just know how I feel and I feel like I lost somebody I loved very, very much. I feel like Superman without his Lois, Jack without Sally, Jesus without Mary..."_

_King leaned back in his chair ever-so-slightly, taking a deep breath. "Snizzi, I'm going to try some exercises with you and take you far back into your past. Now, close your eyes and picture...a cloud."_

_"...a cloud?"_

_"A pretty white cloud in a sea of blue..."_

Looking back on that session, King grinned in a grim fashion, shaking his head back and forth as he slunk towards Green through the alleyway. He had not been able to understand Snizzi's sorrow back then, not even in the slightest. There had been naught but a blank in the demon's mind, no clues as to who Snizzi wept for.

Now he understood, for he had found himself weeping as well, weeping for Nick, the Fool, who had treated him with kindness and love despite his reptilian nature being so seemingly abhorrent to man that even his own wife had been unable to fully see beneath his scales.

Apparently, the dark-haired woman that was standing by Green's unconscious form was finding it hard to look beyond his scales as well. "My name is Dr. Rolar." King said, placing his hand on his chest before quickly pulling out a business card from his pocket. "I'm a psychologist. Ms. Green here is one of my good friends and a patient." He explained.

"Really?" The dark-haired young woman asked calmly as her white-haired friend who had been standing by her gave King an intrigued look before heading back to the bar he'd come from.

"You doubt my sincerity, I understand." King admitted. "If you want proof of my expertise-"

"Hold the phone, Bright Eyes.." The young woman snapped as she knelt down by Green's unconscious body and rifled through her pants. "Tell me how old she is." She said, taking out the Experimental American's wallet.

"25."

"Where was she born?"

"Kokaua Town, Kauai, the United States of America."

"Current residence?"

"The aforementioned town."

"Natural brunette?"

"Yes."

The young woman raised her eyebrow up slightly. It was time, she decided, for a more personal question. One that somebody who knew her intimately would be able to answer. "What does she visit you for?"

"I can't TELL you." King said, giving the woman an annoyed glare. "Not specifics! Doctor/patient confidentiality! Frankly, I'm offended you'd even ask. At least you didn't stoop so low as to inquire about her measurements like SOME perverts have upon entering my office!" King hissed, an image of a certain perverted, orange-furred patient of his popping into his head. "If I have to hear Legion inquire of me one more time if I've installed cameras under the seat cushions-"

"It's cool, I believe you. I'm good at getting a "bead" on people, and you're being honest as the day is long, Bright Eyes." The dark-haired woman said, patting King on the cheek and giving him a playful smile. "The name's Princess. I can tell you're from out of town by your outfit...do you and your friend here need a place to stay?"

King nodded firmly, his tongue catching the scent of-

Salty-iron. Blood. What in blazes?

He turned his head to the side to see a sight that horrified him. The body of a crucified human was hanging from a barbed wire fence in the back of the alley. His yellow, almost golden eyes widened in horror and disgust as he took a step back for a moment-

And then the corpse was gone. The smell was gone. As if some switch had been pulled, as if some phantom force in the universe had made a move eons beyond mankind's understanding, there WAS no barbed wire fence, no crucified, bloodied body hanging for the flies to nest in. There was nothing but the darkness, the young woman standing before him, hands on hips, and the young woman near his feet, unconscious and murmuring.

"Hey, Bright Eyes, you alright?" Princess inquired, tilting her head to the side ever-so-slightly.

"Y-yes, I just-it's nothing." King insisted quickly.

"You saw a corpse, right? The girl was talking about it earlier." Princess said, gesturing down at Green. "I can explain why you're seeing that. You pick her up and I'll take you to my car so we can head over to my place and I can explain everything."

MEANWHILE...

"Why would you want to kill the only person capable of healing this disease?" Junior wished to know of the White Queen as Ember poured the kindly monarch another nice cup of tea.

"It isn't I who would like to see Manifest Destiny destroyed, but other leaders feel he is...dangerous." The White Queen insisted.

"Manifest what?" Heartwing inquired, scratching his head, a confused expression appearing on his draconic features.

"It is the name of the terrorist...or rather, the popular name which the people have given him." The White Queen explained, sipping from her tea cup.

"He is also referred to as the 'Hand of God' by some." The White Knight added, sighing as he leaned against the wall, shaking his furry head back and forth. "The people believe him to be from the Heavens above despite the fact that wherever he goes, chaos follows. He is capable of healing people from the disease that is crippling our world, of that we have **proof**, but..."

"But nobody is willing to ask him for direct help." The White Queen sighed. "It's typical politics. If a government cannot control a powerful individual that is making them look bad, they will seek to discredit them. If they cannot control a powerful individual that seeks to undermine them, they will seek to destroy them, either politically, socially...or literally." She added nervously.

"I'm not sure. As the saying goes, to plant roses, you must be prepared to shovel manure." Junior insisted, spreading his paws wide. "If he really is the only person capable of curing the disease..."

"As I said, I'VE no quarrel with him, but...well..." The White Queen hesitated.

ELSEWHERE...

"There have been many incidents." The Caterpillar explained to Daveigh and Ashton as they sat down at a picnic bench, Tak bringing a tray filled with scones to the bench and sitting down near the Caterpillar with a small smile.

"Incidents?"

"As in "immense property damage and people put in hospital" incidents." The Caterpillar explained with a sad sigh. "Manifest Destiny insists that all of the people who have, in fact, ended up dead because of him were the ones who fired first...or that what happened to them was an accident." He added, placing his claws together and sighing slightly, bowing his head. "I do believe him, but only because I've...seen him. Up close."

"You HAVE?" Daveigh inquired. "What was he like?" She wanted to know. The name of this terrorist seemed to fill her with a vague sense of awe and wonder which Ashton seemed to share from the look in his deep brown eyes.

"I've seen him once. It was enough." The Caterpillar explained, resting his head upon the top of his hands, a wistful expression passing over his insect-like features. ""His presence was almost ethereal." The Caterpillar admitted, nodding his head sagely as he steepled his fingers.

Seeing that being had indeed felt...otherworldly. The man was normal enough in appearance, but he carried an aura about him of divinity. One felt comfortable around him. He had felt to the Caterpillar like a brother. Ironic, considering my own abilities, the Caterpillar mused.

"But do tell me something. I have to know...what will you name it?" He asked the couple sweetly.

"What?"

"Your child. I can tell you are pregnant." The Caterpillar told Daveigh, his monocle'd eyes gazing intently at her face, trailing down to look directly at where here womb was.

"You can TELL!? How?" Ashton wanted to know, gaping in surprise.

"My Spidey-Sense is tingling, dear boy." The Caterpillar said, showing off his razor sharp, dagger-esque teeth. "It's a unique talent of mine." Ashton's face paled, making the Caterpillar chuckle inwardly. He **never** got tired of that. Ever.

"Er...well...we haven't picked out names yet." Daveigh admitted, shrugging. "But we ARE going to have her middle name be MY first name if it's a girl, and it'll be HIS first name for a middle name if it's a boy." Daveigh told the Caterpillar, putting a hand on her chest.

"It's a custom for the was kinda passed down." Ashton explained. "Daveigh's middle name is the same as her mom's first name, just like HER middle name was her mother's first name. Grandma Lilo always thought the tradition was neat."

"Lilo? Who is she?" Tak wanted to know.

"Well, to tell you all the truth, we're not just...ordinary teenagers." Daveigh admitted, leaning in closer to the center of the table, whispering. "Ashton and I are the "Lovers" of the Major Arcana...we're part of a very, very important peacekeeping organization...

Elsewhere, a group of figures made their way through a looooong hallway with hundreds of pictures lining the wall, each of important figures spanning across the realms of existence. From charmcasters to dragons, from Japanese hanyouu to Australian magicians, from warriors from Mars to witches from Venus, they were there...inspirational figures, "contacts" of the Major Arcana. The group of figures passed by the pictures silently, moving with solemn purpose as the black-haired young woman at the front smoothly pushed open a set of double doors, allowing everyone inside...

_"We're all good at what we do. The best. And all of us have one goal: keeping the peace and fighting for what's right._

One by one the figures took their seats within the walls of a beautiful, wide room that had stars painted all over its cascading paint job of dark blue, which was made to simulate the night sky, a circular table sitting in the center.

_"There's the High Magician, King. He's a snake sapient."_

"Sapient? Oh, we have those here! An "anthro" type being? A furry?"

"Yes, but they think of the term "furry" as-"

"Racist?"

"YES, exactly!"

"We get that complaint a lot from their species. We're working on it, we are."

"Then there's the High Priestess, Green. She's a fiery person who's not afraid to say what's on her mind, but her gruff exterior hides a really sweet woman inside."

As their behinds hit the seats of the chairs at the circular table, the stars on the ceiling began to swirl around, turning as if night was passing before their very eyes, though in fast forward.

_ "Then there's The Emperor, Snizzi. He's an imp. Seriously. As in horns, tail...whole shebang. Shin, the Hermit...doesn't talk much. I think he got his tongue cut off..."_

"...that's an unpleasant experience, I'd imagine..."

"Grey, he's the Strength. The guy LOOKS like an animal, but really, he's actually human, and really nice. Staccato is known as The Justice..."

"We all know why we're here." A brown-haired being said softly, solemnly. He wore green armor with silver gloves and boots, a white Polaris star insignia upon his chest, a green mask covering his eyes situated just above his nose. He placed his silver gloved-hands together, gritting his teeth.

"We have...a dire situation. The Lovers...the High Priestess...the High Magician. The World. Temperance. GONE. Vanished from this world and in Adonai-Knows-Where."

_"Of course, I can't forget Page, the Star...he's a real sweetheart. He'll probably do our baptism, unless Darth, the Hierophant, does it for us. He loves children, he looks a bit scary, but really, he's a sweetheart. And he actually resembles you, sir!"_

"Oh, really? Intriguing..."

"Then there's Vassago, the Tower. He loves children too. He's a demon from Hell, but he's alright for the most part. Then there's our guardian, Hammy. He's looked after us as our guardian ever since our parents died, and he's "Death". He's also a doctor too, so he gets really...depressed...sometimes."

"Izzy's nearly inconsolable. It was her invention that did it." Lilo admitted sadly, shaking her head as Staccato noddedhe Polaris star insignia on his chest turning a depressed, dark shade of brown. "And Judah keeps insisting that he should be allowed to go in after them, but we've locked the whole lab off so nobody can do ANYTHING until we figure out a plan."

Izzy inconsolable. That was almost a laugh. SHE was barely consolable. Her grandchildren were gone. Her dear friends were GONE. And she hadn't even been able to...

She wanted to cry. But there would be time to cry later. She had to be brave, Lilo thought to herself.

"That brash little lion." Page sighed, bowing his head, his neatly-cut brown hair shaking back and forth as he did so, his pond-surface eyes shut tightly in deep sorrow and regret. Judah causing trouble again. His heart was...somewhat...in the right place, but what was needed was a well-thought-out action, not recklessness.

_"Then there's Zack, he's the Hanged Man. He almost NEVER speaks. Charlie, the Sun, is a mile a minute though, you guys would LOVE him. He makes everyone happy. And then there's Temperance, Junior von Hamsterviel. Oh, he's a great friend of the family, he's like a brother to us. And Myr, the Judgment, he's our music teacher at school...he's TOTALLY shattered all of my preconceived notions about gay people." _

"Junior...my son...my only son..." Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel wept, holding his hamster-esque head in his hands, weeping openly into the table as a blond-haired young child gently patted him on the back, trying to avoid the doctor's tufted tail.

"It'll be alright. We'll get 'em back. We always do." Charlie, insisted kindly. "Please don't cry, Rupey."

"It seems the fault Izzy had was in the testing of her invention. She never bothered to figure out if organic matter could go through." Myr murmured, nodding his head to the side slightly. "...for some reason, all I can hope is that Daveigh and Ashton and Green do not end up naked wherever they land."

_"They're all really great guys. Heck, even the Devil, Samael...even HE'S always off doing charity work to make up for the terrible stuff he did when he used to be evil. We're always willing to go the extra mile."_

"That is the sign of an excellent leader."

"Indeed, the Red Queen could learn a thing or two from you, Ms. Daveigh."

"And Michael White...well, really, everyone just calls him White...he's the Wheel of Fortune. He's been off on vacation with his wife for a long time...haven't seen him lately..."

"Who KNOWS what the requirement for crossing into that realm of existence was? It doesn't matter. What matters is we get them back. Get my granddaughter back!" Lilo insisted, slamming her fists on the table, brown eyes blazing. "Shin, you can travel to ANYWHERE in the universe and even to other dimensions if one of us MA has been to them. Since we've got missing members in this new world, can you bring them back?"

Shin nervously hung his black-haired head, his pale skin almost glowing brightly in the light of the room as a deep look of utter shame passed over his features. Finally, at long last, he shook his head, reaching into the thick black robe he wore to write out something on a notepad, handing said something to the good doctor next to him.

"I tried getting going in, ported in the back of the room during incident. Got Blocked from Entering the World." Hammy read out.

"Blocked? Somebody BLOCKED you?" Lilo gasped.

_"But they must be so worried about us all...we all ended up here in this strange new world and...please don't think this is weird, but...but it's just nice seeing a familiar face, sir."_

"I understand, young one. I would be happy to help you. The meeting I am going to will be a meeting of the most powerful individuals in the world, not merely in terms of political experience or wisdom, but in terms of skill. I am certain that somebody there could aid you, most of them are kind-hearted beings."

"Thank you, sir."

"It is nothing, my dear. I admit that the Red Queen has powers that are considerable as well, but for she would be of no aid to you, I fear. Alas. I admire her passionate conviction, but neither she nor her daughter understand..."

"Understand what?"

"There is something far more important than conviction."

"Who...what...would have that kind of power?" Vassago murmured, his neon green eyes glittering. "...do we know anybody else who can-Frequency. Where is that stoned-out surfer boy ?!" the demon demanded furiously.

"He and Ember aren't answering their calls any more than the other members." Staccato mumbled, holding his head in his hands. "We can't...this can't be it. Our plan can't just be "rush inside, guns a-blazing". It just CAN'T. That NEVER works..."

Lilo paled at this. Staccato had been a cop for years, if he was saying that, it was true. His was the voice of experience.

"...what can we do then?" Charlie murmured.

"..._pray_." The blind Irken in the room sighed softly, placing his claws together, his balled antennae quivering as he bowed his head in prayer.

"...let us join Darithil in prayer then." Page spoke quietly. "...we could...use...a miracle." He managed to squeak out, his angelic white wings clinging closely to his body as he clasped his own hands together as well.

Darth normally would have been annoyed at being addressed by his embarrassing full name...but not today.

Today there were more important, tragic matters to worry over. Today his dear friends were in dire danger.

And so they all prayed as Daveigh and Ashton were led to their rooms, spacey, prettily-painted rooms across from a teenage couple which were sleeping in the same bed. It wasn't long after their heads hit the pillow that they fell asleep, unable to feel the Caterpillar and his wife's presence nearby as the white-robed Irken smiled kindly, stretching over the sleeping Lovers, stroking their cheeks.

"He'll be a good father, wouldn't you say?" Tak asked gently as she pulled the blanket over the two.

"Yes. She seems a very nice, sweet girl. She'll be a good mother." The Caterpillar agreed.

"They've sworn to see this through even though they are frightened out of their mind." Tak murmured as her eyes momentarily flashed a bright shade of purple, looking intently down upon the two sleeping humans.

"Conviction, conviction." The Caterpillar said in a sing-song fashion.

"So...you're really going to...?" Tak trailed off. She felt a tiny twinge of remorse, just as she always did when ones so young entered their lands.

"Of course, however I can. There is something more powerful than conviction, Tak, as I have always said. That something..." The Caterpillar crooned, claws caressing Daveigh's stomach for a few moments.

_"Is mercy."_

...

...

...

... meanwhile, Heartwing and Junior were being shown to the guestrooms of the White Queen as Kualili bowed deeply, allowing them to pass by him and into the stately bedrooms that they'd be sleeping in. "Have a pleasant night." The White Knight informed the two. "But, ah, should you feel the need to use the bathroom, remember, it's the SECOND door on the right down this hallway." He added. "Would you like me to show you in case you forget?

Junior didn't like Kualil. He may have shared the appearance of Grey, but there was something unsettling. He'd tried to get a read on him, but all that had come up was a vague blend of duty mixed with tightly-bottled-up fury, so tightly repressed that it seemed as though the tiniest slight would set this...man...off.

No, Junior didn't like him. He was certain Kualili was looking at them more like prey than as guests.

"Thanks, but I think we'll both be fine, sir." Junior insisted politely, holding up a paw as his voice radiated positive civility.

Unfortunately, this move ended up backfiring horribly. Regrettably, all of that tea they'd been served just a few hours earlier was already ready to be released. More regrettably...they got lost, picking the wrong door.

Now, someone's home may be spooky at night. Even if it's their own home, one might find that the curtain of darkness that falls after sunset makes everything seem all the more chilling. Being in an unfamiliar building does little to assuage the nervousness one might feel as night descends. If anything, the anxiety may increase...especially if said building is a huge mansion.

Heartwing, who had seen every single episode of "Scooby-Doo", knew better than to split up. But the draconic experiment also knew that walking around in an unfamiliar mansion at night and getting lost in the process was bad, bad, _bad_.

"Relax. I don't think the White Queen has anybody in this castle who's scarier than Kualili." Junior insisted as they headed down a long, serpentine hallway, the eerie quiet invading their eardrums. Not even their own steps upon the floor seemed to make a sound. More unsettling still, in the day, the crystalline structure of the White Queen had appeared pristine and beautiful. In the night, all the walls held a waxy, almost greasy look, with chess board-esque pattern of white and black for a rug below, stretching off into eternity like some rug from a nightmare.

Slowly but with absolute certainty, all of the castle around them was becoming more and more disturbing, the eerie quiet of-

_Tick..._

_tock_...

"What was that?" Heartwing whispered, head whirling towards Junior as the sound repeated.

_Tick..._

_tock_...

"...get ready." Junior whispered as the two of them slunk along the walls as carefully as possible, their heads slowly turning the corner to gaze at a strange new sight.

There was an enormous set of opened double doors leading into a circular hall. Within the middle, a man was sitting beneath an enormous Grandfather clock easily ten times his size. Calmly sipping on a nice cup of tea, his glittering pink eyes looked over the top of the teacup, noticing the two surprised and confused Major Arcana members.

"Ah! Guests!" The white-haired man laughed, adjusting the tall green top hat he wore with one gloved hand before he set down his tea onto his knee in perfect balance, smiling in a rather odd fashion. This green-clothed being was...off.

His face wasn't cruel or ugly.

His white hair was SLIGHTLY unsettling, but not that strange.

True, his outfit was out-of-place for such a regal area, Junior mused as they entered the hallway, noticing the dozens of cabinets lining the walls from left to right around the hall. No, what was off was...his eyes. They seemed to be...dancing. Constantly jigging around, not truly focusing on THEM but almost...through them.

It was then that the doors swung shut with an enormous CRA-CLANG and Junior and Heartwing wheeled around in surprise as the Mad Hatter let out a loud and impeccably perfect imitation of a clock once again.

_"Tick...tock..."_ He whispered. "I hope you're up for a challenge!" He informed them, stretching his arms wide before reaching for the teacup, taking another sip. "I do hope you succeed. I'm quite bored and if you don't get it right, you shan't be leaving."

"For when?" Heartwing asked.

"Forever." The Hatter said nonchalantly.

There was a faint trace of cruel intent in his voice hidden beneath the jovialness. Junior frowned darkly as he folded his arms, Heartwing looking from him to the Hatter. "Go ahead, what is this challenge?"

"Something you have seen but have never seen before. Bring me three of these. You'll find the answers in here, in the Hall of Antiquities." The Hatter explained calmly, stretching his arms wide before them, calmly standing up as the Grandfather clock opened up, and where there had once been gears and machinery was now nothing but an inky blackness seeking to swallow up all...nothing but black, through and through...

The Hatter seemed to fall backwards, vanishing into the blackness as the Grandfather clock suddenly shot down into the floor in a smooth, sliding motion, leaving no trace that it, nor the Hatter, had ever been there. Junior frowned, turning back to the door. "Heartwing, try to break down the door." He suggested, heading for a nearby cabinet.

Heartwing struck the door over and over again. "Oh, heck no! Come on! COME ON!" Heartwing yelled, banging his fists against the door. The door should have been broken into splinters, but it held tight and fast.

Junior opened up one of the many crystalline cabinets, looking through it. A bunch of toys greeted his sight, tiny jacks, army men, a doll or two, a-

There. He reached inside the cabinet and held it up in the air as a low, thrumming noise began to fill the air. It sounded almost like a...

"...is...it getting...hotter in here?" Heartwing asked quietly as the thrumming began to fluctuate slightly in tone before growing louder.

Junior looked down at the floor. REALLY looked down at it. And he suddenly realized that there were...black stains...embedded in the floor. Glancing up, his red and blue eyes widened in horror as he saw his worst fear.

Grates at the top of the roof. This whole place was some kind of furnace.

"Heartwing, hurry!" Junior yelled as he rummaged through the other cabinets, looking through other types of toys. "Look through the cabinets! We need to find a toy chick and a star! FAST!" The Muridean grit his teeth, tossing toys over his shoulder over and over as he continued searching.

The thrumming noise was getting louder and louder. Now the entire room felt like it was turning into a sauna. Junior wanted to scream. He wanted to yell for help. He wanted to do more than frantically search for an answer to a twisted riddle in his last moments alive, but if he and his friend didn't find those two items, they would both be slowly burned into ash.

By now a paralytic feeling was rising in Junior as he found himself staggering back, the heat finally getting to him as his head began to swim.

_No, no, please, God not like this, please God_

There was nobody around...nobody who could help them. The entire room was probably soundproofed. Besides, it was 2 in the morning. Nobody else was most likely awake. And the only person who most likely COULD hear them did not care. Junior couldn't yell and couldn't scream and he couldn't breathe.

They were going to die in here. He would never see Green again. He would never see his children again. He had failed in his duty as a father, a husband, as Grand Councilman, as Major Arcana, and he wanted so badly to fall to his knees, weeping in shame, but he was simply too frozen with absolute fear-

"_I'VE GOT THEM!_" Heartwing yelled out.

And that's when the thrumming sound came to a halt, the temperature in the room slowly, mercifully, returning to normal as the Grandfather clock rose back up from the ground, the Hatter calmly stepping out of it to fold his arms across his chest. "Well?" He asked, tilting his head to the side ever-so-slightly.

"A p-puzzle. The answer to yours. Something t-that you've seen, yet ha-have never seen before." Junior finally stuttered, holding the puzzle set he'd found up in the air in his paws, shaking slightly, scarcely able to believe he was still **alive. **

"A baby bird. See?" Heartwing held up a tiny doll of a little chick. "It's also something entirely new that you've seen before, yet haven't."

"And?...I need one more." The Hatter asked.

Heartwing placed the toy down on the ground, and then stepped forward. "The last has to come from you. Let us go."

"What?" The Hatter's voice became rather sharp, annoyed.

"An act of **kindness**. Something you've seen...probably all the time...and yet never seen before. You've never seen us before. Being kind to us would be something entirely new." Heartwing reasoned.

The Hatter blinked slowly, pink eyes seeming to steady themselves as a strange expression came over his features. And then he laughed and laughed, holding his sides steady as he almost bent over with hearty chuckles.

"Hahahahaha! Th-that's just...now THAT'S...that's funny AND just the sort of thing I wanted to hear! You're a SMART...ha-ha-ha-ha...you're smart, the two of you are!" The Hatter laughed, finally calming himself down and snapping his fingers. The doors swung open as the Hatter took off his hat, reaching inside and pulling out a small, tiny little piece of what looked like some kind of stone seal.

"...what's...that?" Junior asked.

"This is part of the Seal of the Metatron." The Hatter explained. "Consider it a gift for solving my challenge." He told them, giving the piece of the seal to Junior, walking back into the inky depths of the Grandfather clock. "I do hope we meet again, my lovelies!" He added cheerily.

"You tried to kill us." Heartwing said, looking mortified.

"Yeah, I tend to do that a lot." The Hatter nonchalantly replied, vanishing into the clock anew as Junior looked down at the seal.

There was something within it, some kind of vague power that seemed to radiate off from it like warmth from a heater. He wasn't sure, but Junior had the vaguest feeling that the Hatter had given them something of infinite importance.

But what exactly it did would have to wait. They still had to find their way back to bed.

THE NEXT MORNING...

A group of figures made their way through a looooong hallway with hundreds of pictures lining the wall, each of important figures that had changed the world. From Americans to Britons, from Chinese to Japanese, from French to Venezuelan, the inspirational figures stood within frames upon the hallway. The group of figures passed by the pictures silently, moving with solemn purpose as the black-haired young woman at the front smoothly pushed open a set of double doors, allowing everyone inside...

Within was a room of absolute beauty. Enormous pillars towered high at the sides of the room, with sapphire orbs situated at the top. A finely-painted enormous painting of the gates of Heaven was situated above an enormous circular table below, large windows showing the immense city that stretched out around the council's meeting headquarters. The walls, a pretty, fine shade of peach, had been freshly painted, and the whole room had a faintly strawberry scent.

"Ahh, that extra mile. How I love it." The black-haired woman admitted, sitting down some distance from her blond-haired husband. She looked rather hot in her large brown robe, but that didn't seem to bother her as much as the figure that was directly across from her. The woman seemed to be of vaguely Middle-Eastern origin, with darkened skin and a fairly round nose, but there was a sort of tragic beauty to her face, making her give off an aura that she was far wiser than her years.

The Red Queen, meanwhile, was adjusting her crown in the reflection of a mirror on the wall.

The Red Queen of Yurp, or more to her preference, the Empress of the Yurpean Empire...a woman giving off a vague feeling of being very...tired. She had black hair without good style; glazed greenish eyes; blue finely filled nails; an incredibly pointy long nose and a beauty mark placed above her lip on the left side of her face (at least, from her point of view). Judging by her forcibly curvy frame and exaggerated bust, it was obvious she was wearing a corset underneath laced up to its tightest.

The Red Queen's skin appeared very pale from her country's climate and excessive indoor living, showing off that her looks were starting to fade with her age. Luckily, she seemed to make up for it with eyeliner, lipstick and other guady make-up which to an extent made her look younger. The regal clothes the Queen wore reflected both her vanity and serious lack of taste; a heavy and elaborate black, blue and silver dress complete with shoulder pads and silver diamond patterns on her blue and silver skirt. Appearing at the bottom of her skirt were the end of black thigh-high boots decorated in a gold buckle and patterns. Her long list of jewellery consisted of superfluous jewel-encrusted rings on her long elegant fingers; a collection of necklesses of pearl, gold and jewels and in her hand a long, golden sceptre topped with a figurine crown. To finish the ensemble was, on top of her head, a small, TACKY, jewel-encrusted crown.

Her daughter, meanwhile, didn't look quite as regal and seemed more "bored" than tired. She was putting her feet up on the table, frowning ever-so-slightly. The black-haired queen of Lewistania sighed as she looked over the Red Princess. She'd grown up into an attractive, yet still menacing young woman of 19-years-of-age. She had lost a LOT of weight since she was a child, yet still retained a rather big build, especially around her strong legs. Her regal attire looked considerably less feminine from when she was a child. Still, she wore her long, purple velvet jacket that was trimmed with ermine; a black fur bodice over it with a thick, purple fur skirt. She was wearing black thigh-high leather boots and several superfluous rings on her slender, sharp-nailed fingers. Instead of white polar bear, her heavy cap, now lying on the table, was made of jet black grizzly bear, and which was tied up around her neck by a silver chain and German Eagle broach. On top of her head, her hair now died raven black with faint purple highlights, was a black cap with a white rose broach on the front.

How ironic. For somebody who continued to insist she didn't want to be like her mother, she was looking more like Melanie every day, the woman murmured.

In contrast to the Red-Haired princess's scowl, the blond-haired man was grinning like a little boy in a toy store. He had quite an impressive large blue jacket that was stretched over his shoulders. He didn't have his hands in the sleeves...he just seemed content to wear this "captain's jacket" like a cape. His eyes were a slightly brownish shade of red, but most noticeable of all was his enormous, toothy smile. His royal blue jacket's sleeves were laced with golden tips, and he wore sturdy-looking black boots that squeaked together slightly as he rubbed them against each other. His sleeves were cut off, showing off powerfully-built muscles, and his teeth were a bright shade of white, impeccable and perfect.

"Well..." Eric Hayden-Muir commented calmly as the last figure, black-cloaked and white-masked, sat down, silent and solemn. "Let's give them ten more minutes...then get started. What say you all?" the ruler over France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium inquired.

Melanie was helped to her seat by her General, Franz Spainco, a tall, well built, yet middle-aged Czech. He was a man who looked like he was passing his prime and not willing to admit it, with a face covered in a greyish-black moustache and beard that looked like metal fibre, with yellow teeth visible through it. The General's brown eyes looked sunken in, leaving a distinct shadow beneath them and his nose look crooked – an aftermath from battle, no doubt.

Eyes. No, that wasn't QUITE right. I should say 'eye', for he was missing one. An eyepatch covered his right eye, making him look even older than he was. General Spainco had dressed for the occasion in a grey Greatcoat which was decorated with ribbons and medals; black gauntlets and boots and a peaked grey cap with a Yurpean insignia on the front. A slight limp was in his step, a remnant from the same injury that had cost him his eye.

As Melanie sat down, the doors opened again. This time, even more figures entered the room...now flanked by six newcomers to the world.

"I say that we can NOW get started." The White Queen informed the Majestic Council, striding in along with the Caterpillar, Princess, her White Knight, and the newcomers.

"Very well. The first order of business is well known to us all..." The black-haired woman spoke quietly, her voice almost echoing through the hall.

"I'm just glad to see you guys are alright." Green whispered to Daveigh and Ashton.

"Well, I just hope nothing screws up these proceedings." Junior told them quietly as he took in the council. "I can sense it. All of them are very, very stressed and frightened. They're just quite adept at hiding it...that one's very frightened of YOU." He told Kualili, glancing from him to the General.

"...well of course he is. I'm the reason he has no eye." Kualili explained calmly, leaning back against the wall with the others.

"Why did you do that?" Heartwing wanted to know.

_Esther Hayden-Muir. She was a nice, sweet, shy little girl. Erick Hayden-Muir had brought him along on one of his trips to the council and was shaking hands with the head of Australia and New Zealand._

_"I really want to thank you again for your support in regards to this issue." Erick said eagerly, shaking Mr. Irwin's hand._

_"Mate, it's always a pleasure." Steven said in his charming Australian accent, patting Erick on the back as he gave him a large hug._

_Esther, meanwhile, was trying to work up the courage to give her father something that she had in a small bag. Waiting outside of the meeting hall in a hallway, she nervously bit her lip before striding towards the door..._

_Only to be stopped by one Red Princess as General Spainco stood nearby with Annamarie riding in her wheelchair to HIS side. "Well, well, what's this?" Coraline inquired, snatching the thing out of the bag Esther had, holding up a small wooden ship._

_"Er...I...made that from a lot of scraps and stuff. It's...it's my birthday present to him."_

_"Ohhhh, it's his_ _birthday present.__" Coraline commented, one eyebrow raised as Kualili, who was watching from around the corner, narrowed his eyes angrily, letting out a soft growl as Coraline tossed the toy against the wall, making it shatter into pieces._

_"Oh dear...what a mess." Esther murmured, kneeling down by her broken toy, lip quivering._

_"You'd better WATCH yourself if you know what's good for you!" Coraline said coldly. "My mother told me all about your stupid dad! So tell him I said this..." She went on, pulling down Esther's hair and making the girl gasp. "He'd better DROP the issue about the you-know-what...or we'll do he-knows-very-well-what. Got it?!"_

_Kualili's claws dug into the wall as Spainco laughed at this. Oh, so he thought it was FUNNY, huh!?_

_Well, after the meeting, the Red Queen and her consorts headed for the stairs...not knowing that Kualili had set up a little surprise for them. Esther's attempt to blink back tears still fresh in his mind, he headed up the stairs as they headed DOWN, waiting for just the right-_

_There. Spainco was passing him by. He quickly stuck out his foot in the right place._

_THWOMPA-THWOMPA-THWOMPA-THWOMPA!_

_To add worse injury to moderate injury, Spainco landed EXACTLY where Kualili had been hoping, on a piece of floor where he had carefully stuck in one of his own teeth, glued to the floor. The general's scream echoed through the halls in a high-pitched, almost squawking sound, but it was pure music to Kualili's ears._

_**"Auuuuuuhhhhh..."**_

_"OH MY GOD! OH MY...AAAAAHH!" The princess of Yurp screeched in horror as the Red Queen, seeing Kualili, turned furiously upon him._

_"YOU BASTARD! You askin' for it?!" She hissed._

_The White Knight calmly turned his head to look at her with a single eye, the Red Queen gasping in fear and stepping back as he whispered out a single word._

_**"Accidents happen."**_

As Kualili finished telling the story, Heartwing shivered. He had seen something in the white-furred being's eyes during that tale. Nostalgia. Pride.

No, no this being wasn't much like his friend Grey at all. He seemed far...far...worse.


	4. Searching for the Seal

**REVERSAL**  
-

_"A life without adventure is likely to be unsatisfying, but a life in which adventure is allowed to take whatever form it will is sure to be short." Bertrand Russell._

4  
SEARCHING FOR THE SEAL

_"...what is the issue that you're most worried about?" King asked gently, sitting in his chair in a video conference with Junior._

_"...it...it gets tough..." Junior admitted quietly as he rested his head in his arms at his desk. "...I have...a THOUSAND planets...to worry about. Natural disaster relief...economic debt forgiveness...invasions to foil. And...and...I..." He finally looked up, sniffling slightly. "Sometimes it's all too much. I feel like...I'm not good enough. I mean, my father, his brother-"_

_**Junior.**__ Look at yourself." King insisted, nodding firmly as the video camera hovered in the air, capturing everything. "You've got a loving wife, beautiful children, you're smart, you're kind, and goddang it, people __like__ you. It's alright to feel overwhelmed, we all feel that. But..."_

_King paused for dramatic effect. "Stop...punishing...yourself. You've done nothing wrong. Whatever your father might be responsible for, or his brother...you're not him. You make your own choices. You are your own man. So rule like the man you are...a good...GOOD man."_

"I'm really am glad to see you're all alive and well." King spoke quietly as he sat with the others, waiting for the Majestic Council to address each other. They tried not to look over at the black-robed one who wore that unsettling mask upon his face. The being seemed to radiate black, wrathful thoughts at them. Hatred...fury...rage...

"What is that thing?" Junior wondered as it momentarily glanced at him through the red slits, soulless and calm. He could not get an empathic read of it, it was absolutely blank. Even the emotions of wrath and anger it was giving off didn't feel 'real', only...a mask. A mask like the one it was wearing now.

"What I wanna know is who's that woman you came in with?" Ashton wanted to know of King.

"Her name is Princess." King explained calmly. "...and...well..." He shrugged slightly. "It's a long story, but..."

...

...

...

...for a woman named "Princess", she lived fairly modestly, King mused to himself. A house with faded pinkish walls and a teetering chimney, a cobblestone path leading up to steps...she didn't even have a garage. Or, for that matter, a car. Frugality. That was the word that came to mind as King examined the unconscious Green's eyes, carefully lifting her eyelid up so he could examine her consciousness.

"...REM sleep." He deduced, looking at her pupils, trying not to cut her eyelids with his claws. He carefully let go of them, popping the tiny flashlight he'd used back into his pockets. "She's fine. Probably dreaming about her husband." He informed Princess, looking HER over with interest. "...do tell me, who was that friend of yours? The one with the white-hair. He displayed use of the Sacred Skill."

"Wow. You figured out Manifest uses Magic Music. You're either a brilliant magician or every person in the world who's ever spent five minutes with him!" Princess said snarkily, taking a hand and flicking the top of his hair up with her pointer and thumb.

"Manifest...?" King tilted his head to the side. "No matter. He's not my problem. What IS my problem is getting Green and my other friends back home to our country. We got separated in a storm-" He began to lie.

"Look...Dr. Rolar..." Princess spoke quietly, putting one hand on his mouth and shutting him up. "I KNOW you're not from this world. I've met "Dr. Rolar" and I promise you, he's not half as nice as you are." The dark-haired woman explained, flicking her hand dismissively. "You're clearly from somewhere far...far...away." She murmured, leaning in close to his head, golden eyes glittering.

"...yes." King admitted sheepishly, blushing slightly.

"I'll help." Princess said kindly. "But I want something from you. I'll be going to a meeting with some very, VERY important people at a place called the Pearl of the Mediterranean just off the coast of Greece. I need to convince the Majestic Council that my white-haired friend isn't a terrorist at all and that he's the only hope for a cure this world has against the disease that's been runnin' RAMPANT through the nations."

Princess strode over to a nearby wall, hands held behind her back as she held her head up slightly. "Now, the Dr. Rolar of this world? Renowned psychologist. GREAT magician. You're a dead ringer for how he looked before..." Princess trailed off slightly for a moment, sounding loathe to mention what had happened. "...before he went out of his gourd and attacked the Red Queen's kingdom. That's when I met Manifest..."

Princess turned around ever-so-slightly, nervously blushing as her tone dropped an octave. "I felt sorry for Dr. Rolar because I'd been in his shoes, I'd...I'd lost those dear to me too. Manifest helped cover it up, he wiped Mel and Coraline's memories and helped me hide him. I'm the only one who knows where he is now, and everyone believed me when I said he was just taking time to relax with his family. I was telling the truth...sort of..."

King stiffened, his heart leaping into his mouth as he thought of his own family. He, a father and husband of the Disappeared.

"Point is, they'll think you're an expert and my opinion will mean more if you back me up. I might even win over the Red Queen with this and we can get the unanimous decision I need!" Princess said firmly, grinning broadly.

"I'd-I'd be happy to help." King stammered out. "Though I don't know why they'd be so afraid of your friend. One who uses the Sacred Skill can**never** be evil."

Princess sighed deeply and slowly turned around, heading for a nearby chair and sitting down in it, folding her arms over her legs. She had already given this speech to others before, and she hated giving it again. It was like trying to explain to a child about how parents have children; no matter how many times you spelled it out or how simple you kept it, they'd be asking you to explain it all over again the next day.

"Okay, Bright Eyes. Lemme paint you a picture." Princess informed King, taking another deep sigh. "You're head of a group of nations that banded together in the name of overcoming economic hardship and promoting good international relations. You're constantly stressing over handling countries that, until recently, were at each other's throats playing the blame game."

King tilted his head to the side. "Go onnnn..."

She stood up, stretching her arms wide. "Along comes a spider! He's a maverick. A wild card you can't control. And YES, he's immensely popular with the rabble, but the man causes more property damage than a hurricane on a monthly basis, and he refuses to let himself be brought in by your police. Contrary to what "The Fugitive" might have led people to believe, only guilty men tend to run."

She sighed, resting her head against her hand and closing her eyes. "I know he's harmless, but even I'M getting annoyed by him not just agreeing to meet with us peacefully."

"He's the prideful type, I take it."

Prideful? That was a laugh, Princess thought. That was the understatement. "He's so stupid...he wants to do his own damn thing and that's what makes him dangerous. When you have the kind of power he has, it needs to be checked!"

She then strode over to a nearby window, chewing on her lip a few times as her voice became quiet and desperate. "And unless I can convince the rest of the Ruling Council that he's not a threat so much as an international nuisance, they're going to murder him. And...and he's the only one who seems to have the ability to cure the pandemic that's covering the globe. I...I don't know what to do. I've tried convincing them, but...but unless it's unanimous, then..."

Her body began to shake and it was then that King realized she was crying. He carefully approached, putting a hand on her shoulder.

_"Patricia, listen. I know how frightened you are by all of this. But I took a vow to cherish and love you for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Yes, we're going to have another mouth to feed...yes, our lives are moving at a fast pace." He gently wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her cheek with his own. "But no matter what, I'll be there for you, and I'll always get you through the worst of all you feel."_

"...if my mother and father could see me now...heh." Patricia Rolar shook her head back and forth. "They'd be horrified that I...I can't believe this is happening. I want to have a girl, King, but...but I'm scared."

"I am too. But we'll get through this together. I'll lift you up, and you'll lift me up, and we'll reach the end. A little worse for wear, perhaps, but we WILL get there."

"We'll get there. A little worse for wear, Princess, but we'll get there. I'll help you and you'll help me." King insisted kindly. "I can tell you care about this world. I'll do what I can to help you save the only one who can save it."

Princess wiped her eyes free of tears and then turned, smiling at King. "Thanks, Bright Eyes." She said quietly. "I...appreciate it." She admitted. "...say, why don't I get you a drink?"

"Certainly. If you've any wine?" King inquired as Princess went to the phone, quickly dialing out. "Who are you calling?"

"Ah, the Secret Service. The nice part about having them around is I can get them to do stuff for me."

"Secret...wait..." King's eyes widened. He had thought that she was merely some kind of diplomat. Was she saying...?

"I just prefer living in THIS house over my big ol' White one." Princess explained with a small smile. "Oh, and I rent the Presidential Suite out to tourists for...special nights. What?" She saw a look of vague disgust flicker of King's face. "The funds all go to charities."

"...you're President of the United States." King stated slowly. "...really."

"Not JUST the states. Canada...Cuba...Puerto Rico..." Princess rattled off as her phone finally connected.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to get used to this world anytime soon." King murmured.

...

...

...

...**JUNIOR**

"Her? President?! Holy..." Daveigh trailed off. "...Ashton...that black-haired woman..." She frowned slightly. She kind of looked like her grandmother in a way.

"Yeah, she could be her twin!" Ashton agreed.

I rubbed my chin. Ashton was being truthful, Esther DID look an awful lot like Daveigh's grandmother. The skin color, perhaps not, but those eyes...that nose...the hair...

"LOOK!" Princess was shouting furiously at Erick, slamming her hands into the table all were sitting at as some of the other leaders sighed slightly, clearly used to these outbursts. "I KNOW what you think of him, but I don't care! Your ego is just going to have to make room! To plant roses, you've gotta-"

"I KNOW, and you've made it clear how YOU think, Princess." Erick said, flashing her a small smile as he spread his arms. "But you've yet to prove that your wild card is anything close to an ace in the hole."

"Well!" Princess sneered, wheeling at King. "I happen to have an advocate who can prove that, oh Pirate-Who-Doesn't-Do-Anything!" Princess explained, gesturing at the serpent sapient. "Dr. Rolar, if you could be so kind?"

"With pleasure," the snake insisted, standing up and walking towards the circular table, the Caterpillar moving his chair so as to allow him to get a good spot. "And with MAGIC." He added, snapping his "fingers" as a large chalkboard popped into existence above their heads.

"What the-GAAAH!" The Red Queen shouted, leaping backwards as the chalkboard slammed into the table, almost knocking it down. "You idiot!"

"My apologies."

"Dr. Rolar, I'm well aware of your magical skill, but please...what's the meaning of this?" The black-haired princess of Lewistania inquired. "You cannot seriously be supporting Princess's position? Whatever Manifest Destiny's powers, his refusal to surrender to the authorities..."

Esther sighed deeply, shaking her head, her black hair jiggling slightly. As I continued to look upon her, I was struck by how...tired...she felt. She seemed to be feeling very, very old for a woman in her late, late teens. She had obviously had to grow up quickly, and I sympathized with her.

"Allow me to explain, ladies and gentlemen." King stretched out an arm and instantly writing was sprawled out over the chalk board, with various names of magic displayed. "Magic in itself is naught but a tool. Think of it as a...hammer. A hammer can be used for a good reason, like in helping you build a house, or for a vile purpose, such as beating in some poor unfortunate soul's brains..."

"I'll bet her brains taste nice and eggy." Kualili whispered pitilessly in Coraline's direction, licking his lips at her she visibly shook.

Disgusting. The"man" clearly enjoyed seeing her squirm and was trying to think of a subtle way to top what he'd done to General Spainco, who was standing at the faaaaar end of the room. His eye? He actually put out his...what was wrong with this man?!

"But magic cannot be evil. And some types of magic cannot even be used by evil. Magic music and life magic above all." King added solemnly. "They are absolute goods. Magic music itself is called the Sacred Skill. An **indisputable** fact among the fields of magic."

All of the Majestic Council seemed hesitant to debate this, and Junior knew why: it was true. Nobody in all of history who'd ever been given the gift of the most enchanting and heartwarming magic powers in the universe, be it _Zoe, Bios_ or the "Sacred Skill", had ever been evil. It was unthinkable. Even in this supposedly parallel world, that seemed to be truth, thank Goodness.

"But still...he'd NEVER listen to us." Erick insisted.

"Indeed. He may not be an evil man, but he is a proud one." The White Queen spoke solemnly, head nodding.

The Red Queen stood up, walking slowly over to the window, hands held behind her back. "Do you think I didn't try a more peaceful approach?" She wanted to know.

"It's true. I ordered special agents sent out." General Spainco reported, holding his hand up in a snappy salute. "Yet not even psychic abilities seem to work on him from what they reported. Who could change his mind?" She murmured.

"I can change it." I spoke up, paw raised high in the air as he strode forward. This was it. Time to sell myself, as my father had said.

"And you are, Muridean?" Erick inquired, looking interested.

"I'm HALF Muridean, sir." Junior stated. He slammed his fist against his chest, speaking proudly, head raised high. "My name is Junior von Hamsterviel, Grand Councilman of the Galactic Federal Alliance!"

_That always feels good._

"...Grand Councilman, eh?" Erick's eyes narrowed as he leaned in closer to get a better look at Junior. "...you're all not from around here. I can tell. Neither are the ones behind you." He added, looking beyond Junior at Green and the others...avoiding looking at King, much to Princess's surprise.

"Huh?" Coraline tilted her head to the side, standing to her feet. "What do you mean?"

"Outer space, or something?" Erick inquired. He seemed quite intrigued. I imagined that in his younger years aliens had FASCINATED him. He'd probably grown up with pictures of Flash Gordon on the walls and Star Trek action figures lining his closet.

"...alternate universe." Daveigh corrected, shrugging slightly.

"Ahhhh. I know what you want." Esther laughed gently, her face becoming soft. "You'd like us to help you get back home, right? Well, we could do that!"

"But I want to know...What do you bring to the table besides a fancy title, longears?" Erick Hayden-Muir wanted to know of Junior, crisscrossing his fingers as his smile spread ever-so-slightly, one eyebrow raised high.

"Yeah, you look like you couldn't lead a Glee club, Energizer Bunny!" Princess said nonchalantly.

Okay, I was a BIT angry now.

"Oh, you should **FEAR ME!**" I growled, my eyes turning a blazing, fiery yellow color like a blazing sun as I generated a near-paralyzing wave of fear through her body. Instantly Princess's insides seemed to turn to jelly as an indescribable terror shot through her, making her scramble to get away from me as sweat dribbled down her as she stuttered in horror.

I immediately felt sick about what I'd done. I'd only meant to get her to respect my abilities, I shouldn't have had to use such a technique. But the Caterpillar evidently found it fascinating. "...an empaaaaath." He whispered, eyes widening. "Despite your slightly boorish display, controlling a being's emotions takes subtlety. I think you may be the man for the job."

"I'd like to go with him, if I can." Heartwing offered. "I don't really wanna just leave him alone, and I think I'd be of help."

"Well, you're welcome, my boy, to join him." The Caterpillar said.

"But on the off chance THAT doesn't work, I think we should have a backup plan." The Red Queen insisted firmly, looking around at the other members of the Majestic Council.

"That's where, I think, THIS will be of service." A voice popped up.

It was then that a single, floating blue head emerged, and Frequency bobbed through the air, "resting" on Heartwing's shoulder. "How 'bout showing the thing you got that's only part of a thing?" Frequency...him again? How in the world was he able to just pop out of nowhere? I didn't understand it.

"...OHHH! The seal of Metatron thingy!" Heartwing stated, pulling out the piece of the seal.

Much of the Majestic Council gaped at the sight, eyes widening. "The Seal of Metatron!?" The Caterpillar whispered.

The masked being smiled slightly beneath its mask, but remained silently, folding his hands in his lap and nodding, giving off a vague, whispery sound of approval.

"That's...that's the most powerful spiritual sealing stone in all of the world..." The White Queen murmured. "However did you get ahold of it?" She wanted to know.

"Why, a good friend of MINE gave it to them, brahs." Frequency said, the Cheshire-Cat-esque grin lingering on his floating head as the rest of his body popped into existence, and he rested one arm on Heartwing's shoulder. "But it's only part of the seal. If your white-haired lil' terrorist really is a powder-keg waiting to explode, then getting ALL of the seal is your best chance at keepin' him from goin' aggro and taking his power."

"What would happen to the power, then? Whomever's using the seal would wield it?" Daveigh inquired, taking the seal piece and looking it over.

Frequency poked the seal piece with a single furry digit. "It would get sucked RIGHT into here. Practically turn into a flashlight you could flick on and off however you pleased, dudette." He explained, smirking to himself.

It was then that I saw a flash of emotion rise in Frequency. Pure, undiluted remorse. And this unnerved the "Temperance" of the Major Arcana. Why was telling them about the seal something to feel bad over?

Erick Hayden-Muir, meanwhile, frowned as he looked at Frequency and I saw something in his eyes...a faint attempt at recognition. Had he seen Frequency somewhere before?

"But where are the other pieces?" The White Queen wished to know, scratching her head.

"I think a locating spell would be able to find them easily enough." King spoke up.

"Then it is settled!" Erick laughed happily, standing upright and clapping his hands together. "One party will search for the seal! The other will go find our little white-haired friend. Do this. and we'd all be more than happy to send you right back home."

With that, everyone's eyes filled with joy as King grasped the seal and began to cast a locator spell, beginning with a soft chant as his tone grew louder.

Hope...we were all feeling real hope. Yes, it could take a while, but it was there, almost in their sights...a way back home.

HOME...

...

...

...

..."I'm...not...too sure about this." Daveigh murmured as she, Princess and Ashton walked along with King through the picturesque town of Dublin, finding themselves in a veritable sea of red, black and brown hair. The crooked towers of the city were teetering around them as King tapped at the seal with a black claw. Frequency had been kind enough to drop them off and had even been nice enough to offer to buy them all drinks!

Well...if they survived.

"What are you so worried about?" Ashton wanted to know as they continued making their way through the crowd.

"Look what's on the top of that hill." Daveigh insisted, pointing with her hand to a hill far above the city. There, far off in the distance, was an enormous abandoned laboratory of some kind, decrepit and derelict, long since abandoned. "Dollars to donuts...that's our destination."

"Now, you don't know that." Ashton began to say.

"Nope, she's right." King said solemnly, pointing at the laboratory as well.

"...great." Ashton squeaked out. "Another creepy abandoned building. We're all gonna die." He insisted. "I'll just recite the Mourner's Kaddesh right now."

Princess whacked him on the arm. "Oh, show some backbone, Four Eyes! Your girlfriend's **worried**, not saying her prayers!" She insisted. "Just be ready for anything."

"...she's right." Daveigh insisted. "We've got King with us, and besides, we're Major Arcana. We all took an oath to do the right thing no matter where we were, no matter what it took." It didn't matter if they WERE scared, Daveigh thought to herself. This was something they had to do to save this world and to save themselves.

King was silent. No matter where, no matter what, he mused inwardly. He remembered those words being spoken to him so, so long ago by the MA's founder...by Nick. And now Nick was gone and dead and dust just as-

**_A love like this...will come but once...this I...do believe!  
And I'll not see...his like again...as I...live and breathe!  
And I'm sorry if...I miiight offend! But IIII will never see...  
How the tenderness...I shared with her...becaaame...a heresyyy!_**

**_Jesus loved me...this I know!  
But why on Earth...did I ever let him go?  
He was always faithful, always kind,  
But he walked off with...  
this heart...  
Of miiine!_**

King turned his head in Princess's direction as she smiled wryly at him. Somehow he had a feeling that she wasn't really singing about Jesus at all. Somehow, she was singing about P-

Suddenly his shoulder bumped into a woman's and he nervously turned his head to apologize, glancing momentarily downward. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I...I...I..." He stammered, eyes widening wide in amazement as the woman looked at him.

"What is it?" Daveigh wanted to know, she and Ashton stopping in their tracks.

Red hair...slightly tied into a bun in the back...thick, rounded locks falling out from beneath with pretty bluish/green eyes and a soft, but easily-frightened face...

The woman King gazed upon gaped for a moment, and then nervously quivered before quickly running off. King gazed off at her for a moment before he took off running as well.  
"What the?! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!"

"That's **Patricia!**" King roared back. "MY WIFE!"

Ashton turned his head towards Daveigh. "I thought he told us once that his wife left him and took her kids with her cuz she chose family culture over-heyyyy...you don't...think..." He trailed off.

Daveigh frowned slightly. The Dr. Rolar of this world had, according to what Princess had told them on the way there, had gone insane. Princess had said he'd eventually gotten himself killed in his own laboratory. "...this is something he needs to do on his own. And this..." She turned to look in the direction of the laboratory. "Is something we're gonna do on OUR own."

Princess smirked to herself. This was gonna be too easy.

She wondered, though, if she should tell Daveigh and Ashton if the laboratory they were heading for had been-

Naaaah. They'd figure it out on their own soon enough. And even if they didn't, **she** sure wasn't gonna tell them about it!

**KING**

I knew what I had seen. I KNEW it was Patricia. All of the other faces in the street became a blur as I raced past human after human. Many of them were staring right at me...I imagine they were wondering if they had lost it and were seeing a monster, joining the ranks of the Infected. I didn't care.

All I cared about was taking Patricia in my arms and holding her there for as long as it took to apologize...after which would come a deep, deep kiss. That had been her, I was sure of this, and she had seen me, RECOGNIZED me, I could tell!

Why was she running? Damn. The street I was on was going on forever, everything was turning into-

Rain. It was raining. An annoyingly persistent drizzle that was making everything become grey around me, but I had to keep-

Now I found myself lost. I'd not seen which direction she'd gone. I stood in front of a street corner, looking around for any sign of her when the crash of a gate echoed through the street and split the pitter-pat of the rain. The glimpse of a gate to some kind of back alley caught the corner of my eye and I quickly jumped over it, landing expertly on my feet with a SPLASH as-

As blood splattered onto my once perfectly-white pants, staining them. I was not a stranger to blood, but as I saw the stream of blood flowing beneath me and out of the gate, I felt the need to immediately remove my sandals from the awful red liquid. My eyes slowly trailed up that stream and saw the source of the blood...

Its thick entrails had been bundled up in the center, with a kidney hanging off the side of the poor thing's rotting flesh. The remains didn't even seem to indicate whether it had been a male or female, the body was so horribly mutilated that even a reasoned estimate of sex would be hard. I carefully approached, trying not to step on the splashed-out innards, kneeling down by the thing's chest and feeling it carefully.

Judging from the height of the body, the size of the waist...the larger hip section...it appeared to be a woman. There was also the lungs...they were very much visible and not that big. Men tended to have larger lungs than women...

This was **disgusting.** Who would do this to-?

I once again took a deep breath.

_ King. Stop thinking. You need to find Patricia._

I just needed to focus. Luckily, I could see a faint figure in the distance disappearing into a sewer grating...a figure with hair I recognized all too well.

The sewer. I was a snake, not an alligator. This would be repulsive. But I had to see Patricia. I had been trying to find her ever since that day, the first and only time I'd ever used magic for utterly selfish purposes. My first and only failure in retrieval magic. I had not gotten my family back.

But now there was a chance. A slim, slim chance.

And I wanted to take it. No matter how insane all of this might have seemed.


	5. Swan Song

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**  
_I can still recall...our last summer...I still see it aaaall...walks along the Seine...laughing in the rain...our last summer, memories that remaaaaain..._

5  
SWAN SONG

He calmly leaned back in his throne, waiting...waiting. It wouldn't be long before-

There she was. She strode in, nervously chewing on her lip and bowing deferentially. He let out a satisfied sigh and turned to her. "Yes?"

"...I...I saw some-somebody today. When I went out shopping for the mercury you asked." She murmured.

He frowned slightly. Whenever she said "I saw somebody today" it meant one of the people on his list. The list of dangerous individuals whom, should they discover him, would put an end to his experiments.

"Who was it?"

"It-it was you." She mumbled out, quickly falling to her knees, bowing her head deeply.

...ah. So...it was happening. He smiled. "...go ahead. Leave. Be with your children."

She immediately scrambled out of the room to head towards the "cell block" of sorts where her children were, and he smiled, getting off his throne and moving through the room towards a large set of computers, many a screen flickering and humming like a symphony of hornets as his golden yellow eyes glittered darkly.

He did not enjoy being alone. He was so glad to have...company. It was enjoyable when people stopped in, got a chance to see what he looked like after his transformation the same way "She" had.

Magic. How he loved it. It had replaced his fragile bones, his nerves, his beating heart. His thoughts danced around like fairies in a ring, the lifeblood of the elements moving through his body...he was power incarnate now. And, being the merciful sort, he'd been so kind as to grant his wife improvements.

Yes...it was so amazing what magic could do...and soon he'd have enough of "those" to share the improvements with everyone.

A horrible grin spread across his features, and an insane, hissing laugh echoed through the laboratory as Patricia clung tightly to her children, knowing that they would die again tonight.

**DAVEIGH**

It was...kind of...embarrassing, getting pregnant the way I had. I had been hoping to save myself for marriage, but to get accidentally pregnant at a time when we were trying to avoid it? Awwwkaaaard!

But it all felt...odd. Very odd. I got a strange, unsettling feeling of déjà vu the more I thought about it. It wasn't...worrying.

This wasn't right.

Why did being pregnant not truly freak me out?

Was it just because so many of our family had had children?

Was it the fact that childbirth was so romanticized in popular culture?

Was it the fact that giving birth meant I'd poop, pee, pass gas and possibly faint in front of several strangers in the middle of a crowded hospital room?

Could it be I just had cold feet about...no, no, it couldn't be that. I did want to bring a child into the world. I wasn't afraid. I **wasn't.**

But I still wasn't sure about the name. We had gotten back into discussion on the name as we entered the laboratory, a wave of rancid, musty air like the inside of a meat locker filling our nostrils as we stepped inside the abysmal dimly-lit entrance hall.

"How about "Honor"?"

"...I dunno." I shook my head back and forth, arms folded as we passed by several odd pictures of people wearing shapes on their shoulders instead of heads. "Kids can be so cruel. I mean, the guys will really tear into her. "I got Honor, did YOU get Honor, EVERYBODY got Honor, she's easy"."

Ashton frowned slightly, his brown eyes squinting ever-so-slightly behind the thick framed glasses he usually wore, a sigh escaping his lips. "All right, what about...Yuna?"

"After Ms. Hanako?" I asked, one eyebrow arching up. Yuna. Yes, if we had a girl, we should name her Yuna, after our friend from Japan, Yuuna Hanako. She was a good friend of the family and sister to one of the Niihauan Experiments, the head of its security division.

Wait. "But what if it's a boy?"

"How about...we name him Roger, after Roger Rabbit?" Ashton wisecracked. I promptly whacked him playfully on the arm. We were NOT naming him Roger Rabbit. He wanted to name every pet we tried to get "Roger" if it was a boy. They all died terrible, disturbing deaths; I was certain the name was jinxed. There was no way MY baby boy was going to be tragically snatched up by a hawk, then struck by light-

"Well then, if not "Roger", I think we should name him "Duke" if it's a boy." Ashton told me.

What. WHAT?!

Not Duke. **Uh-uh. **

"Duke is a DOG's name, Ashton." I told him with a hint of anger. I mean, seriously. Duke?! The kids would pick on him mercilessly.

"Not true." King's slightly sibilant voice echoed out through the main hall as he descended from a staircase in the distance, resting his clawed hands upon the banister and making his way towards us.

"Eh?" I scratched my head. How had he gotten inside-

"My father was named Duke, and my mother was named Duchess." He explained, gesticulating with his hands as he stepped off the stairs and calmly strode over to us, placing his hands on his hips.

"Why haven't you ever introduced us?" I wanted to know, putting MY hands on my hips. King had mentioned his wife and children before, but hadn't talked much about the rest of his family, save for his uncle, Czar, who had-

"Oh, they're dead." The serpent anthro explained nonchalantly, shrugging ever-so-slightly. "My uncle poisoned and ate them. Another reason why I had him cut up into 500 inch-sized cubes in front of my relatives."

I felt slightly queasy in my stomach and Ashton had to hold me steady for a moment as that disturbing mental image popped up in my head, only with my family replacing King's. He saw my discomfort and sniggered for a moment before gesturing at the stairs. "I found an alternative entrance into this laboratory, but regrettably I cannot find any trace of what we seek."

"No sign of any part of the seal?" Ashton asked, frowning slightly as he turned to Princess-

Wait. Princess. Where had she gone off to? She'd been right with us as we approached the doors, what-

"Though there WAS a locked room that appeared to be some kind of library at the third floor." King added thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Perhaps it's within there, a trophy in a glass jar?"

"Could be. Why don'tcha just magic it open?" I wanted to know.

"If I could have "magic'd" it open, I would have done so, my pet." King said in a slightly condescending tone, shaking his head back and forth. "No, I'm afraid it's the more traditional route for us. See if you can find a brass key that will fit an odd-looking doorknob..."

**KING**

Obviously, the sewer cover not very acquainted with the motions of the simple act of opening and closing. The embarrassment to public maintenance was not merely slimy and foul-smelling, but thick and heavy, untold years of rust and crud and gunk drenching the hinges like a pancake with too much syrup. Nevertheless, it gave way eventually and I squeezed into the sewer with a PLOPA-THWUCK.

A moment later I was falling. My foot had missed any sort of ladder and for a brief moment I feared I was tumbling to a disgraceful death in the sewer, but...no.

I didn't hit floor, nor air, but warm, tepid, sewer water, several inches deep and with a stench of...well...a stench that would peel wallpaper off the wall and scales off my already badly-scarred chest.

...what? Oh. You want to know how I GOT those scars?

No. It wasn't from my father beating me. Or my mother. I never knew either one. Blame my Uncle. He was a disgusting man. I'm sorry I killed him the way he did, but I'm not sorry he's dead. I've no tears to weep for that tempter, that Old Serpent.

No, it goes back to something else. I believe I had told you my wife was named Patricia, and that she had left me, taking my children with her. The problem was that...I had done something incredibly selfish in response to this. I...

I had tried to use a retrieval spell to magic her back to me.

Well...I tried.

...it failed.

**Badly.**

I remember blood drizzling out from my body like a fountain, my screams echoing through my home as I wailed in despair and anguish. I feared that she had not merely left me, but had left this world. I could not bring my wife, my beautiful son, my darling daughter, back into my arms...because these dear beings so filled with warmth and love were now cold with death's embrace.

And yet I had seen my wife here, and all I could think was that I had to have her back, wondering if...

What if she had not died?

It was possible. With magic anything was possible. What if...

What if the Patricia here was MINE? What if my children were here as well?

I know what you are thinking, Lord. Please..._please_ don't look at me like that. If you'd had the chance, you would have done it too. And even though she had traded her family's traditions and honor for my love, I still did, and always would love her with all my heart.

I had to know if that had been my little Patty. So I stood up in the sewer and glanced around at the flooded corridor I'd landed in. It looked like it hadn't been used in ages, with rough walls hewn from solid rock, and water dark and murky all around me, almost coming up to my knees, soaking through my sandals.

Alas. They'd been a great birthday present from Dr. Hamsterviel. He'd been Daveigh and Ashton's legal guardian and was a dear friend. He was probably worried sick about them and his poor son and daughter-in-law...poor old albino couldn't handle loss very well...something always found it ironic. In nature, mice and other rodents have babies frequently, they were probably used to their children dying suddenly, surprisingly, but Murideans and their Empathy seemed to take loss-of-loved-one like a punch to their spirit's gut.

Yes, we're all big softies, aren't we, I thought to myself as I trudged off to the right, trying to follow Patricia's scent, which was becoming lost in the foulness of the sewer. Worse still, metallic bars prevented further advancement...not cold iron. No, these were hard steel and...new. Odd.

So I headed into an open corridor far off in the distance, though this didn't exactly fill me with confidence either. I was in a sewer, chasing after what MIGHT be my wife or might be nothing more than this dimension's doppelganger, and a disturbing, looming feeling of uncertainty was filling my very being as-

I almost tripped and groaned as I tried to steady myself.

"You never realize how difficult it is to walk in a foot of water until you're actually doing it." I mumbled out loud as I held onto the wall for balance, clumsily splashing my way down the corridor, trying not to fall back in due to the slimy walls I was using as a hold.

Then I saw something at the far end of the tunnel...something with it's back turned, clutching some unknown object, head bowed so as to obscure any onlooker from behind seeing what it's head looked like. But that fur color...I recognized it. It was Green's fur color.

Green was here? What in-

Suddenly a wet noise began to fill the air, wet and slightly moaning, rising into a staccato burst of disturbing laughter as the figure turned around, showing off an inhuman, unworldly face obscured by wild hair that kept all but a single eye hidden, as she moved forward to strike at me with a pipe in her clawed hands, A blood-red, ethereal eye glaring bloody murder at me...

Her pants composed of different patches of flesh and skin into a disgusting, unnatural tie-dye that was inhuman to behold, what had been several poor souls' faces etched together to make up several regions of the pant legs.

I felt horrified tears coming to my eyes as empty eye sockets gazed up at me, the thing that wasn't Green raising her pipe above a head that wore a nurse's cap, one of those folded dailies like you'd see on a sailor's head showing a dark black symbol that I couldn't make out. She brought it down and, luckily, missed my head.

It struck the ground in front of me...she was too far away. Next time this hellion did not intend to miss, of that I was sure. I almost hesitated...she looked so much like Green. The fur color...the unshaven, grey-furred chest...the clawed hands and taloned feet, even the hair color was all...

But there wasn't a trace of Green's humanity looking out from that eye as it gazed hatefully at me. There was no remorse, no sign of confusion. It was cold-blooded, pitiless killing instinct. She raised the pipe again.

I jumped forward, grabbing her throat, my fanged mouth clamping over her own.

I gave this unholy thing the last kiss this it would ever know. The thing that was not Green's body shuddered, a sickening greenish and purple hue covering its form as it staggered around, gasping and hacking as if trying to cough up its heart from its chest. It's single, solitary eye became sunken in, a black and purple abyss of nothingness...

The inside was now matched on the outside, and it fell down to the sewer, as disgustingly dead and unnatural as it had been within. But...

I felt saddened by this. I used to be so _kind_...and even if she hadn't truly been Green, to see her face like that...doing what she had tried to do...

I grit my teeth and turned around, heading out and into the hallway I'd been in previously, noticing a far-off corridor even further down in the sewer. The smell of the rancid sewer no longer affecting me, I sloughed through the damp waters...

Unaware I was being watched. Unaware of the danger my friends were in.

Unaware that the Hellion's body was slowly rising back up.

That is...

Until I heard the unmistakable long, grinding-sound...of a metal pipe being dragged along a steel wall.

**IZZY**

I had screwed up. My family was quite possibly dead because of me. And I had been unceremoniously arrested for reckless endangerment and failing to properly test trans-dimensional machinery, my beautiful device taken away from me.

Did they think that my scientific pride wasn't crushed? Did they think I wasn't **hurt** by all of this?

"I AM FLESH AND BLOOD, DAMN YOUR EYES!" I yelled out, standing tall and proud, waving my finger in the air. "I am not a calculating bundle of cold and unfeeling circuits and WIRES!-uh..."

I turned my head to nervously blush and bow my head apologetically in the direction of Staccato, the "Justice" of the Major Arcana who gave me an annoyed look. "No offense, sir." I mumbled.

"...plenty taken, thank you." Staccato said bitingly, reaching up and taking the "mask" off his eyes. Oh dear, he was mad. His pupils were turning a steely, cold grey, his jaw set, a furious rant building in his mouth. He got annoyed when people forgot that he was a bioroid, an advanced robot that was practically human. I was a constant thorn in his side, bringing him lots of paperwork to fill out and giving him a headache at every turn.

No. Staccato didn't like me very much. So I wasn't too surprised by how coldly he spoke to me.

"Israel von Hamsterviel, first it was you bringing in a nuclear bomb to school for show and tell. Then it was hacking the IRS. THEN you decided to screw around with the American Idol poll results."

A momentary flicker of a smile flashed across his features then. "While I find it funny that you elected Ms. Piggy the next American Idol, **this**..." The frown vanished abruptly. "I am going to have to be harsher this time. You've put many people's lives at risk when you could have prevented all of this by sending, say, a mouse through the-"

This ticked me off. Didn't he know how I felt about this sort of thing? I tossed the officier a furious glare, my eyes turning as cold as the golden ring in my ear. "Oh, and I suppose next you'll tell me you support putting animal hearts into humans, mouse-killer!"

"Putting animal parts in humans is MUCH different than killing animals!" Staccato protested furiously, slamming a fist onto the desk he'd forced me to sit at in the police station.

"**Some** of us think that animals have the exact same right to live as humans do, Mister Murderer!" I hissed, knowing that if I could keep this rhetorical argument going just a bit longer, I would be in the clear. Staccato's inability to stomach having his sense of justice put under questioning was legendary. I was as good as-

Unfortunately I neglected to remember a certain loud-mouthed member of the press who had decided to sneak into the police station, a cell phone in one hand, my shoulder in his other.

"Izzy, baby, I gotta get an interview with you." Erin Nightshade insisted, patting my shoulder as she grinned broadly, blue eyes alit with interest in a new story for her husband's news network. Damn that White. How was it possible for him to just inherit a media empire? Who had he blackmailed this time? "I want rumors, dirt, personal details on the whole thing! It'll be broadcast tonight on "60 Minutes"!"

"Mrs. Nightshade, as much as I appreciate you reminding me why I dragged Israel in here in the first place-" Staccato began.

Erin was now a biiiit too busy talking into her cell phone. "Hello? Editorials? I want indignation, shock and moral outrage. This is no way for a respected scientist to act, especially considering the abysmal scandal of that nuclear bomb. I want full-on rage on her lack of foresight. What?"

She paused. "Oh, yes. Bring it all back to sexual inadequacy. Now gimme the front page, I gotta discuss that other article...yes, yes, I want a twenty-inch headline! "Troubled Tiny Throws Tallest Towards Train: Tons' Tongues Titillate"! And make sure you put THAT photo of my father. I think it really brings out his eyes. He needs it, they're so freakishly small."

Ugh. Bad newspapers live for this sort of crap. I sank my head into my hands, moaning.

When my mother got back from that alternate reality, she was going to kill me. If the jury didn't decide the switch should be thrown on me first.

It wasn't long before I was sitting in a cell, Lilo Pelekai calmly sitting outside, waiting for Staccato to finish setting up the bail papers she'd have to pay. She took a deep breath and sat down, the "Empress" of the Major Arcana slowly closing her eyes.

"...Izz." She said softly. "You and I know...that we're your family, and we forgive family."

She raised her head ever-so-slightly. "This is...this is endangering your family's life in a way that...this has happened before, and we forgave you before, but...but you can't...CAN'T keep doing this, I..."

Lilo ran her fingers through her hair, and I was aware of how...**old**...she seemed. How sad, how mournful. Lately, she'd been experiencing uncontrollable mood swings. We thought it might be just "that time of the month", but it was more like the uncontrollable crying that "The Emperor" kept doing when he was alone. This seemed to indicate personal loss.

And now I had just caused even more of it. She must be feeling like crap, I thought to myself. This is my fault.

...this is my fault.

...I keep screwing up. I screwed up in school and had to become homeschooled. I screwed up being a doctor of internal medicine and got into mad science. Now I'd screwed up even mad science.

"You don't gotta pay my bail." I mumbled, burying my face in my hands again. "I'll just sit here and rot. I'm already feeling like I'm rotting from within, my outside'll just match my insides."

A knock on the door. A grey-furred, tie-dyed-pants-wearing form entering.

"I'M paying the bail." My grandfather said softly. "...and we need to talk. At home. NOW."

...

...

...

...Grey was quite a good liar. I think he picked up a few things from my Grandpa Rupey. Instead of being taken directly home, I was slung over his back and forced to ride a rollercoaster of leaps and bounds across town before finally arriving in my laboratory, with Grandpa Grey jumping through the window. He didn't seem to care too much that I had glass in my chest. I think he had more important things to worry about.

Placing me before the "looking glass", he pointed a single black claw at it. "I don't know how to work my TV remote, let alone something like this. Do you know what's wrong with it?"

I scratched the back of my head. "...well...the device was designed...at least, in the planning stages...for opening view-based portals in the fabric of space-time between other dimensions. Apparently though, it's not a window at all, but a door. And a one-way door."

I approached my invention, looking it over, suddenly realizing what had gone wrong, suddenly realizing why my tests had never picked anything up. "The function of my creation is to impart instabilities to the spacial vicinity, but..." I examined the control console. I could fix this. I could make it go two-way, if I just did some tinker-

...oh foo.

"What's wrong?" Grey saw my face fall and I groaned loudly as I looked down at the damage that had been inflicted by allowing a cadre of innocent idiots to go through this portal.

"Two of the main power relays from the micro anti-matter reactor got fused open, four of the quantum induction coils are burned out, the rectifying Solarbonite laser is TOTALLY burned to a crisp, and the damn thing is half a liter low on cooling fluid. **F-k-f-k-f-kity-f-k-f-k-f-k!**" I snarled, stomping up and down upon the ground over and over in positive furious frustration.

"Well, thank the Lord that Slick's store is open 24/7. I'll have it here in ten minutes." Grey said, nonchalantly shrugging and heading back for the window.

I had to know. Turning my head towards him, I raised a paw up. "Gramps...why aren't you angrier with me?" I asked.

"Honey...sweetie...when we're through with this...I'm going to beat your ass with my belt so bad you won't be able to sit down for a week." Grey said, his voice sweetness and light as he finished his threat with a threatening CHOMP of his fangs.

...f-k.

**ASHTON**

I was currently searching through what appeared to be some kind of a ballroom, complete with piano, crystal chandelier and mirror-covered walls. A great deal of the mirrors, however, had become cracked.

7 years of bad luck to whoever had broken them to pieces. Alas. But that wasn't what really got my attention.

No, my attention was, instead, called to the strange sight of a man in a funny top hat sitting at the aforementioned piano, playing a song as he leaned back on the wooden stool his behind was firmly planted on.

And he was singing. Badly.

**_"A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse, of course, unless the horse can TALK, of course, like the famous Mr. Eeeeeeddd!" _**

"...who in the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks are you?" I asked him. I was considerably annoyed, and put off. I was in a strange laboratory-esque mansion and kept hearing odd bubbling and sizzling noises from some far-off laboratory equipment filling my eardrums. The entire place had a creepy vibe of unnaturalness to it all...it lacked life and warmth. There wasn't any trace of comfort to be found here, and it made me uneasy, splitting up to find that key to the library.

Didn't Daveigh and King know that every time people split up in horror movies, they died? **HORRIBLY**?

The strange, pink-eyed being stood up, turning to me and bowing deeply. "I'm your new best friend. Call me...the Hatter." He informed me, raising his head to smile broadly. "I'm here to talk to you about your little friend, Dr. Rolar...the one who owns this laboratory."

I folded my arms. I had an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach that was slowly rising, an unpleasant sensation like somebody ten times my size was squeezing my gut. "...yes? What about him? Is he...here?"

"Oh yes." The Hatter said calmly. "He'll be here very soon. But uh, if I were you, I'd be more concerned with another monster...one in this room."

...other...monster? Now that feeling in my gut was rising through my body and turning into ice-cold chills. "...where?"

That was when I heard it. A strange, squelchy sound that was a low, deep groan. I whipped around, my eyes scanning the room, desperately trying to find where on Earth that horrible noise was coming from. It was positively inhuman, and...and it didn't sound like any animal I knew...

It was then that I realized that the Hatter had, somehow, strode all the way to the door and locked it behind him. Locking me in with...with whatever was here. How had he moved-

_Meshuggenah_! I ran for the door and banged on it with my hands.

"OPEN UP THE DOOR! **Al ta'atzben otti!**" I swore, my grandmother's old Yiddish lessons rising to the forefront of my mind. Bless her soul, she'd taught me the swear words first. I was, therefore, more than willing to go through ALL the damn declensions of the language. Funny the things you think about moments before imminent death.

"What...is the magic word?" He asked slowly, calmly, eyes dancing with amusement.

Now, I PROBABLY could have avoided all of this by just saying "please". Instead what came out of my mouth was the Ashton Edmonds special, aka the "Foot in the Mouth".

"**YOU SNOTTY LITTLE PRICK! **Shak Li Batahat!" I roared out, trying to think of another swear but finally deciding to circle back to the demand that he open the door.

That annoying "Hatter" waved a finger back and forth behind the little window of the door before calmly walking off, that strange noise getting louder...no, not louder...it grew stronger, more powerful and more apparent. It began fluctuating in pitch, resembling a whale song, if anything.

But while whale songs were often melodic, this was not. I LIKED whale songs. I liked whales. Big humpback whales. Beautiful, deep, resonating songs that were hauntingly beautiful, that was what a whale song was. This?...this sounded like somebody who was choking on something was trying to sing some disgusting Satanic chant. This noise sounded thick and phlegmy and-

Now I saw it. It was coming out from a mirror.

_OUT of the mirror_

And right towards me...slow...calm steps...mouth wide open, eyes white and soulless without any pupils, the stich-marks all too visible on lips that had been meant to remain shut...

A noose hung limply from the thing that was not Zack, this Hanged being that continued to walk towards me, horrid mouth impossibly wide open, something yearning to spill out-

I was going to die.


	6. Blasphemous Fangs

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_Enough with the "We're Soldiers" crap. You're __**murderers,**__ plain and simple." Guy Gardner, Green Lantern Corps_

6  
BLASPHEMOUS FANGS

Ashton Edmonds, red hair becoming quickly matted with sweat, was moments away from a disgusting death at the hands of a soulless, doll-like monstrosity that was even now lurching towards him to hold him in a death grip. The room around him was slowly but surely becoming corrupted with a disturbing scent of decay and foul odors, as what appeared to be flesh stripped from the hides of thousands of innocent people began to cover the wall like the spread of an infection over a wound.

Ashton raced around the room, trying to get out of harm's way as the red-haired thing lurched towards him, the disgusting greenish/black things trailing out of it's mouth dripping down a foul-smelling liquid that looked like fecal matter. The eyes...worse than a doll's. These were the eyes of something that looked like it deserved to be floating around in an undersea cavern...eyes that had never seen the light, eyes so much like that of the Hierophant from their world...

But there was no trace of gentleness of sympathy in them. There was nothing but blankness. Nothing but a white abyss to match the abyssal emptiness within this thing that had no soul. And, in a few moments, it was going to make sure ASHTON had nothing inside him either-

Ashton screamed and banged on the door which the Hatter had locked behind him, howling like a man possessed. "FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S GOOD AND HOLY, PLEASE **HEEEEELP!**" He screeched tearfully, wishing that someone, anyone, would come. He could feel the thing's unholy breath as the disgusting greenish, blackish things that had drooled out of the monster's mouth made their way around his face, pulling him in, feeling like seaweed around his neck, cold, wet, slimy, foul to the nostrils-

Salvation in the form of a bullet to the back of the thing's head. The bullet whizzed through the Hanged's skull cavity, straight up through the forehead, narrowly missing Ashton, save for cutting through some hair. The Hanged Thing's brain matter splattered above Ashton and on the doorway as he turned around...

It was Frequency, grinning so broadly, hanging in the air. His gun was safely tucked away again and now he tilted his head to the side ever-so-slightly to smile in amusement at the terrified little red-headed youth before him.

"You need to wear a BELL." Ashton insisted. "That scared me!"

"Are you alive or not?" Frequency wished to know.

Ashton nervously stepped over the Hanged Thing's fallen body and shivered in disgust as the thing began to let out that thick and phlegm-filled moan, that foul imitation of a whale's song. Not wanting to take any chances, Ashton raised his foot up and brought it down, crushing the damn thing's head. Yellow stuff splattered out onto the ground, and Ashton brought his foot back up with a squishy noise that made him think of childhood antics, trying to form silly putty into a good ball.

"It won't stay dead. This is the good doctor's "Territory". Nothing stays dead, little dude. Everything is brought to life anew so he can waste it all over again." Frequency said simply, quietly. "And unfortunately, I can't letcha know the full story on howta get OUTTA this room. All I can do is hint."

"...territory?" Ashton asked.

"You see what they want you to see, but you can see beyond it all if your nature is true." Frequency explained. "All the ins and outs of this here world, I know them because I got my eyes on the prize. But you don't care about that, look at me, blabbin' on!" Frequency laughed, high-pitched, almost too high, and then rolled onto his back, his head...not following. If anything, it remained utterly stationairy and then, as if THAT wasn't enough...

Began to float slowly towards Ashton, circling him like a cat circling a mouse.

"If you wanna get out of here...then all you need, cuz...all you need is a moment...of quiet introspection."

And with that, he vanished, save for a faintly lingering toothy grin that hovered in the air, a giggle echoing long after the smile faded. Ashton held himself tightly, shivering as he leaned against the wall, then decided against it, realizing what the wall was made of.

He didn't want to be in here any longer than need be. Looking around, he tried to think of what Frequency could have meant.

"Introspection".

He'd been trying to give a clue. That word had been important. Thinking logically, Ashton tried to approach the situation like he would a mind puzzle. What was another term for introspection?

...hmm. Questioning? No, no. Ashton shook his head back and forth. God, why did he feel so dumb right now? He did not have time for this. That thing, the Hanged thing, would not stay dead. He had to get his priorities straight. Take his time, think slowly...think back...reflect on what Frequency had said, he'd get it event-

...wait.

Think back...reflect.

REFLECT. Reflection was another term for introspection! To reflect on something, to think about it inside your head! And there was an enormous tool for reflection in the room which had remained unchanged...

The mirror.

"You had better not bite me." He told his reflection. with that...he slowly reached out with his hand...

His hand touched the mirror.

And with that, everything turned to static, giving away at long last to the ringing of an enormous, lonesome bell that tolled as Ashton fell into the black abyss that stretched out like a maw beneath him, seeking to devour all.

But he would not scream. Oh no. He would not scream. He was not going to give the darkness the pleasure of hearing the fear, the terror that rattled around in his head.

**DAVEIGH**

Okay, I did not like where I was.

In retrospect, it was, in fact, a bad idea to split up. In fact, it was not merely a bad idea, but a horrible one. For one: this was unfamiliar territory...two, none of us were armed...three, I'd seen horror movies. You split up, you die. And the "comic relief" type or "nice virgin girl" is usually the first to go. I counted as the second archtype, even if I wasn't actually a virgin.

Nope. I didn't feel good about this.

The room I now found myself within was very narrow . . . the walls no more than an arm's length apart, and were made of some kind of high-density metal. The floor beneath was, strangely, made of some kind of...pipes. A series of pipes that were feeding odd liquids into the walls. It was as if the entire structure was a living, breathing person, and these things below me were the blood veins.

I blinked, suddenly realizing where I'd seen that shade of white before.

That was life magic. ADVANCED Life Magic. _Zoe_. It was a gift that should never be squandered. It meant people who had perished could laugh again, hold the ones they love and beautiful tears would flow-

Life magic was a blessing from God. Nobody who used it nor the "Sacred Skill" could be evil. These facts transcended all. It gave me comfort, seeing that familiar glow, it was like the gentle shine of a nightlight by my bedstand. Smiling quietly to myself, a grin spreading across my face, I ran down the narrow hallway until I finally reached the door. Opening this metallic stone door in front of me, I found the next room...

Very dark.

Huh. It seemed the pitch blackness that filled the rest of the mansion-esque laboratory we found ourselves in had INCREASED. When I closed my eyes, it actually seemed less dark. This wasn't right. On the other hand, the room seemed normal enough. No strange pipes. No odd metal walls. Just a couple doors. Nothing suspicious.

...God, I wish I'd brought my Louisville Slugger.

I decided I'd start with the door to my left, walking up and carefully opening it. Careful, careful.

...nothing. Nothing but dark emptiness as I stepped inside-

I heard glass shatter.

I screamed, I jumped, I felt a shockwave of utter terror rippling through my body and I almost fainted on the spot, trying to steady myself against the wall as my breathing returned to a normal level.

Don't lose control. Don't break down now. C'mon. You are woman! Hear you roar, dammit!

I heard glass shatter once again.

This time I wasn't startled. Just unnvered. Who was doing that? I noticed something though. The glass-shattering sound was the exact same pitch as before...it was ECHOING.

Shattering glass over and over. That was odd. I tried to ignore it as I walked forwards, but was still feeling uneasy.

It was then that I noticed something...up ahead, near a small lamp, I noticed a metal stretcher with wheels, which I figured was here for storage...on top...a video tape. Old fashioned VHS. I picked it up...just in case, and decided to leave the room.

...the glass had stopped shattering. Could it be that?...

...I kept walking, going into the room I'd just been in, checking another door. The one directly across from me was quite a bit larger than the other ones, so I decided to go to that one. It seemed more important, I dunno. Sure as shooting...there was something in here.

A bed.

A BED?

This was really odd. Who where they taking care of in a freakin' storeroom? There should have been an IV tube or a life support machine or-

...there was something in there. In the corner. Two capsule-esque tubes, long, almost reaching the ceiling.

...I shouldn't have pulled the curtains off. But I did. And I was greeted to a sight that I will never, ever forget.

Children. Two human children. One with red hair, another with sky blue...nice faces...kind faces...eyes held shut in pain and...oh dear LORD, what was stuck inside of them? What was being pumped into their bloodstreams? The life magic? They were force-feeding...

Their bodies. Emaciated...hollowed out...it looked like their stomachs were drinking the body dry, and fouler still, there were so many scars on their skin...

To starve a child was beyond me. Beyond me.

...but this was worse than starving. Someone was experimenting on them. Someone had been cutting into their body with the surgical precision of a doctor and performing a biopsy upon them. I recognized the stitching, I'd gotten stitching like that when I had fallen off a ladder, my skin caught on a nail, my stomach almost gashed clear open. I remembered my guardian's tear-filled face as he rushed me to the hospital, begging to operate and help. I remembered the discomfort of the stitches, and the way his paw had held my hand...

Rupert loved me and Ashton with all his heart. He'd loved us like we were his children. Seeing this would have made him vomit. This was not science. This was torture. This was abusing magic. Someone had been killing them and then-

What sort of monster did this to children?

I left the room, holding my hands over my mouth as I felt hot, terrible tears rising to burn down my cheeks. I wept for a long, long time as I made my way into the other room, collapsing in a couch, finding myself in a study.

Eventually the tears stopped and I wiped my eyes, looking to the side, really looking around the room.

...A VCR.

Well...I decided it was time. I put the tape in.

I was greeted to a picture filled with static, but I could hear voices, and recognized the faces. I recognized King. I recognized Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel.

I recognized my dearest _ohana_.

"Say "hi", honey..." The King of this world, Dr. Rolar, insisted, standing in a study with what appeared to be his wife, Patricia, held two children in her arms. "Cuz we're rolling! Action!"

"...well...hiiii." Patty said nervously as her children looked at the camera for a little while before cooing. "I'm Patricia Rolar, and these are "Ninnikins" and "Ophie"."

"They shall most decidedly HATE those nicknames with a hateful hate when they are older, my dear." Hammy insisted, laughing slightly as he held aloft a small tube filled with what appeared to be life magic. "THIS is our project: something we'll be patenting to the world. A miracle cure for all diseases."

"If it works." Patty laughed.

"It'll work." Dr. Rolar insisted, grinning broadly. "We just need to find willing test subjects. Then we can get funding from Erick when it's proven to succeed, and we can complete our dream. Be it of the mind or of the body or of the spirit, there's NO disease that can't be cured." Dr. Rolar spoke proudly, patting little "Ophie" on the head as Hammy beamed.

"Listen, my son, future me is probably very, very strict, but remember, I am only doing this because I love you." Hammy added with a proud grin. "I have something else for your 18th birthday, Junior...someone VERRRRY special who made this all possible. Look!"

Now I saw something that made me smile broadly. It was him. It was Esther, smiling sweetly, a big grin on her face. "Say hi, sweetie!"

"Hey there, cutie. Be good for your daddy, okay?." Esther said. She was so young...she looked so much like me when...

"Let's get a move on. The carriage will take us straight to your father's estate-" King began before the tape cut off...being replaced with something else.

Eyes. Golden eyes in the darkness, filled with tears, a horrid, pained expression lingering on Dr. Rolar's face.

"...Patricia...where are you? Where are you? Where are you?"

Repeating...over and over and over until I could bear it no more and shut it off. I could guess what had happened to her.

...but wait. If she had died, then how had...

I could hear crying. In the next room. I nervously gulped, heading for the door, noticing something hanging on the wall...a ceremonial dagger of some kind, about two, three inches thick, possibly of Aztec origin. I grabbed ahold of it, ripping it off the wall and tucking it into my pants, hidden under my shirt as I entered the next room.

There, under a bed, was a tufted tail that was slightly curled, the weeping loud, high-pitched, truly pitiable...have you ever caught a bullfrog? I have. With my bare hands...with fishing or butterfly nets...

Once I caught one with a butterfly net and it let out what was unmistakably a screaming wail. All too human...a cry like an infant, frightened and desperate for help. I couldn't hold onto it a moment longer, I quickly let it back into the water...and I never caught another frog again. That cry echoed in my mind...a cry so much like this.

"Hello?" I whispered quietly, gently. The rodent-like mammilian form under the bed slowly crawled out, revealing a furry white body...small, beady red eyes blinking as it looked up in confusion and relief. The little thing had been weeping for a long time...it's cheeks were matted with tears, it's eyes pale from sobbing. The Muridean blinked a few times before reaching out with a paw and caressing my leg.

"..._Esther_?" The guardian that was not my guardian murmured. "Is it...you?"

"Who...who are you?" I asked.

"It's been so long, I...I guess you've forgotten me, but...but I never forgot you, Esther." He said, a single tear squeezing out from one eye. "You look good, you really do." He whispered. "I'm so sorry you...had to see me like this. But it's good to see you...it IS."

I leaned down, taking his paw, looking into his eyes. "When was the last time I saw you? And...and where's Patty?"

"She's probably in the attic. We keep everything that gets lost there...she always gets lost in here." He mumbled, giggling a bit. "You know, we haven't held hands in a while..."

He caressed my hands with his paws, his voice becoming younger, sweeter. "For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health...I promise to honor and respect you. To love you for who you are and the way you are...our love will be a source of strength, so you can go into the world and achieve great things. I am your muse, and your best friend, but I will be much more. I will be your husband."

"You and I...we..." Daveigh whispered.

And with that, he suddenly turned into a strange statue of crystal, and I saw my surprised and shocked expression staring back at me as the room transformed from a comfortable bedroom to just another storage room. I blinked, stepping backwards, looking down at him.

His head...covered by some kind of surgical gear made of what appeared to be flesh, a mouth that had been forcibly shown shut to keep him quiet was ripped open, leaving fish-like gills where a maw should have been, and a surgical gown of disgusting membrane. The face...it had seen so much sorrow. There were crow's feet on his crow's feet, and his posture seemed to be suited to defeated slouching...

But the eyes.

The eyes were filled with that same deep love and happiness that had been in there when I'd called to him. Eyes filled with renewed concern. I didn't know if he was still alive, but he seemed truly happy.

I tried not to cry as I left the room, finding myself before a stairway. Sniffling slightly, I made my way up, thinking back to those wedding vows he'd recited.

It wasn't like I hadn't ever thought about it with...

...I wondered if he'd felt the same way. Now I think I had my answer. I didn't know how I knew...I just did.

And I think it made me appreciate my surrogate father a little more.

...

...

...

...King, High Magician of the Major Arcana, had finally made it and he couldn't believe his good luck. He had found a stairwell in the sewer and it had led him straight up into the laboratory. Better still, straight up to the attic, whereupon a quick examining of the crowded, trunk-filled location gave way to the discovery of a big, brass key that read "Library".

Locked doors. Important. He twirled the key on a clawed digit as he left the attic with his sole possession, heading as I left Room 105 and its sole, shattered possession.

It wasn't long before he found himself heading down a new stairway and deep into a hallway inside the laboratory. Snakes didn't sweat, luckily, but his confidence was slightly waning because he could faintly feel a charged, humid electricity in the air. He could smell something harsh and biting...like foul black tar, it was oozing through his senses.

He tried to ignore it. He needed a locator spell to find the library. He held up a clawed hand, drawing a seal in the air which would create a "map", only to stop in his tracks.

He heard a noise at the far end of the hallway...from where he'd come from...getting closer. Closer.

It was a wet, sloppy thudda-clunk, thudda-clunk sound, loud and regular, muffled from being so far away.

Not good. King knew he had to get a comfortable distance to get away. He could guess what that thing following him was. Dammit, would that bitch not DIE?! He raced down the hallway, doors lining up and dwn, some intact, some boarded up, one of them wide open but leading into some sort of structural collapse...

But there was one that was different. Covered in peeling, starry-stenciled purple and red paint, with a small window that was smeared and filthy. Frankly, King didn't care what was inside. It couldn't be any worse than the thing that was approaching steadily behind him. He went inside, finding it to be very, very dark, lacking the soft ambient light the hallways had thanks to the odd functioning ceiling light.

Then...he heard it.

It was a low, pitiless chuckling. Sibilant in tone...barely human. For a moment, hearing it puzzled the serpent, but then...came the dawn.

"...you." King muttered as he quickly held up a single clawed hand, a burning fireball rising up from his palm as Dr. Rolar smiled down at him. "If you have hurt my dear friends...if Daveigh and Asthon are harmed, then I will-"

"I've done nothing." Dr. Rolar said softly. "...yet. And not...to them."

He licked his lips, looking down at his "weaker self". "Now, Patricia, on the other hand...and your dear children...that is another story. And here's the fun part. You are going to die, never knowing just how your wife and children ended up in my coils, going to die never knowing what befell your beloved friends who entered my territory."

Fast. So fast. King couldn't get the fireball off in time as he was whacked into the wall, Dr. Rolar crooning in a sing-song voice. "They won't get my "crown". Oh no. In the interest of science-"

"You selfish-" King snarled.

"YOU? Want to talk to ME about selfishness?" Dr. Rolar laughed. "I know all about you. I AM you. You lost Patricia and in your selfishness used magic for your own personal benefit, trying to bring her and her children back to your side. You gave up magic for personal gain, true...AFTER YOU COMMITTED THE TABOO."

King swore in in the old tongue, trying to get back up, but another harsh strike to the face knocked him away as Dr. Rolar went on. "You also gave up meat...after you nearly devoured one of your dear friends alive. You almost gave up teaching students your skills...after one of your pupils turned upon you and slaughtered innocents. You gave up killing after you hacked your uncle into pieces. Face it. You only change your mind after you've seen the error of your ways. Most are not so weak."

Another blow, this time to his back. King screeched in pain as Dr. Rolar's hissing voice echoed in his head. "And unfortunately for you, I think that "Jack and Jill" will remain conscious much longer than little Patricia is when I feed. I'll start on their crown...and work my way down..." The sibilant voice hissed.

"St-stay aw...stay away from-from them..." King mumbled out.

**_"Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of waaaa-teeeeer..."_** The giant serpent sang out, advancing slowly, gracefully, voice oozing with confidence.

...

...

...

...Junior von Hamsterviel had decided, wisely, to speak with Erick Hayden-Muir about the Majestic Council. The more he knew about how things were run, the better, and Junior was a damn good listener.

Fact of the matter was that Murideans all had a certain amount of empathic power within them that allowed them to share emotions freely with those they mated with. They bonded for life with their soul mates, something they were extremely proud of. He, half Muridean, had inherited the power of Empathy but had it going for him full blast...all emotions were laid clear for him to see.

He saw through the lies and dishonesty in others just as he saw the innate goodness within people as well, no matter how hard they tried to hide it. And, walking alongside the long-jacketed ruler of Lewistania, Junior felt something shining out: a goodness that was buried beneath frustration.

The two were in Erick's personal car, which was lined to protect him from assassinations. His daughter, Esther, sat "shotgun" with Junior in the backseat as they headed for the subway station, aiming to take it into downtown to visit Esther's mother, apparently.

It was rather odd. He had expected Esther's mother to be living with Erick, but apparently...

Regretably, Junior had no clue if she was alive or dead. There was a sadness in their voices as they spoke of Karenina Hayden-Muir, but not definite enough to pinpoint on death. Perhaps they were simply divorced.

Esther, for some reason, kept looking in the rear-view mirror at Junior as if she knew him personally, faint confusion rising from her intermixed with nostalgia and a faint feeling of longing. Junior decided to break the tension by suggesting they turn on the radio.

This was, in retrospect...

A dumb idea.

**_The population's greatly decreased...  
But the odds are greatly increased...  
That I may one day geeeeet  
To kiss your lips!_** A country singer drawled out, sounding high as a kite.

"Oh BLARGH." Erick moaned.

**_I thank the Loooo-oooord each day...  
Fer the Apoc-oh-lips!_**

"Daddy, PLEASE change the station." Esther begged, moaning deeply and banging her head against her seat's head cushion.

**_Folks are mostly disfigured 'r dead...  
But sugar, I won't let it go to my head-_**

Click! Off it went as they, luckily, reached the subway station. Heading out of the car, Erick snugly locking it, he smiled over at Junior as they made their way inside, over the turnstiltes, which appeared to have been long out of use.

"No tickets?" Junior inquired.

"Not for us. The subway's only for the Majestic Council and their associates to use." Erick insisted as they headed down a long, steely hallway towards the unmistakable sound of a subway train pulling in. Unfortunately, they also were heading towards the unmistakable sound of people speaking.

The unmistakable sound of Coraline and Mel's voice, with General Spainco answering certain questions of a disturbing nature.

"Is every street monitor armed, General?"

"In the campgrounds ? Yes, absolutely, ma'am. And they shall be everywhere else, by the end of the week."

"Why this delay?"

"The sheer numbers, but we do have the weapons. It is simply a matter of getting the 44 calibur home security to everyone."

"Good answer." Coraline laughed. "And how is the male to female ratio of the monitors in...say..." A pause for dramatic effect. "Campground Five?"

"Forty five males, forty two females."

"Campground Zero?"

"Precisely Fifty-eight to forty-two."

"I LOVE this man!" Mel laughed. "You memorized them all? Excellent, excellent?"

"What are the campgrounds holding?" Junior whispered as Esther paled, Erick visibly digging his fingers with their harshly-bitten nails into a sleeve of his long jacket.

"Do tell me what you would have in store for people who would be so impudent as to try and escape from the campgrounds?"

"Apprehended and killed on the spot?" General Spainco guessed.

Junior had never heard such glee in a child's voice. "And how would you do this?"

"Shoot them."

"Where?"

"In the street. In public. In front of everyone?"

"Where on their body?"

"Their body?" The general was confused. So was Junior. Until Coraline said this:

"Where on their body would you shoot them?" Coraline asked, speaking quickly, liquid in her delivery as if savoring the mere thought of putting a bullet in some poor soul's head.

"In the heart or head, for a quick and sure-"

"No, no, **NO**. I want you to use all of your rounds. Start with the hands." Coraline suggested. "First ne, then the-"

"I can't stomach this garbage." Erick muttered balefully as he finally got moving, approaching the threesome in the subway, getting their attention. Mel blinked in surprise, Coraline ceasing her gesticulating to the slightly-disturbed-looking general as Junior and Esther followed after. "...Queen."

"...Admiral." Mel said quietly. "...have you given thought to-"

"There are just so, SO many ways I can tell you this." Erick said, a mocking tone entering his voice. "No. Nein. Nyet. Nada. Negatory. And my personal favorite, man falling off a cliff: _noooooooooooo_." Erick elongated the word as much as he could, slowly shaking his head back and forth before shoving Mel aside with a thick shoulder bump, Junior and Esther following him onto a subway train.

The threesome sat down, Erick barking out an order for the train to get moving and leave the Red Queen, the Red Princess and the general behind. Soon the train began to leave the station and Erick angrily bashed his hand against the seat he was in, muttering hatefully.

"What were they talking about?" Junior wanted to know.

"...you really want to know, look up the official census for Yurp three years ago, and then today." Esther said nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

"...what happened three years ago?"

"...Melanie..." Erick spoke, his voice sweetness and light. "Decided to slowly turn more and more military matters away from the general and over to her daughter as she came of age. THAT...is what happened."

He handed Junior a fairly large "Iphone" and Junior quickly brought up "Safari". It wasn't long before "Google" found him the information he wanted.

2013: Population of native Romani, "Gypsies", within Yurp: 1.2 million individuals.

2016: Population of native Romani...424,891 individuals. The population had dropped to less than half in three years.

"...how did this happen." Junior wanted to know. "...how did all of this...happen? The council. The disease. This...this TRAVESTY." He spat out, looking down at the Iphone in his paw. "...please." He begged Esther and Erick. "...I need to know. I won't be able to sleep until I do. This is going to haunt me forever if I don't know about it and try to stop it with what I do know."

"...the story begins in 2012." Erick spoke quietly. "...in a little town called Riverdale. And it was an outbreak unlike any we had ever seen..."


	7. The Devil You Know

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_We've all heard people talk about animal magnetism, the natural man. The noble savage, as if we'd lost something valuable in our long evolution into civilized human beings. Now there's a good reason for this: it's a preferable trade. _

7  
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

Erick von Hayden-Muir chewed on his lip, finally sinking his head into his hands and shaking it slowly back and forth, his blond hair matted with sweat. He had been trying so damn hard, but this outbreak was unlike any he'd ever seen.

The city of Riverdale had been quarantined once it had been recognized that an unmistakable plague was stemming from it. There was good news though: the early symptoms could be treated, the disease forced back, if caught early. And so, rather than hide in his ivory towers, Erick von Hayden-Muir had insisted that he and his family try and find a cure.

His daughter was constantly spending time with the esteemed Dr. Hamsterviel and Dr. Rolar, experts in their field, seeking to determine a cure. Much of the disease appeared to affect the mind before anything else. This had led to Dr. Rolar surmising that, quite simply, the whole disease was psychosomatic in nature, triggering some change solely based upon delusion of the mind. But with the right kind of willpower combined with the right medication, maybe, just maybe...

The problem was finding the right kind of medicine to treat such a disease, and they'd not yet found anything close enough to be a cure, though they were sure they were getting closer every day. That gave him hope.

What's that, I hear you inquire? Oh, yes, it's true. He was inside the of the city, helping those who were slightly infected. He didn't really give two s—ts if he caught the disease, he just wanted to help, and he was not the only one. Princess, the new President of the United States, had happily volunteered all of her services to contain this epidemic and to pay restitution to grief-stricken families.

"Come on! Bless the Lord and pass the Mickey Ds, you slow-ass morons!" Princess's voice rang out as she carried a large tray of snack food past Erick as he sat on a bench in the hospital, bringing it to the nearby children in the "A" wing. Yes, it wasn't a very smart idea usually to get kids to eat McDonalds food, but it was comfortable. They enjoyed it. It was familiar, safe, and more importantly, the disease made the body almost eat itself from the inside in the early stages: the more food they got in the first few weeks, the easier it was to keep them happy and healthy.

Yes, you may laugh at the irony of this. But there wasn't anything laughable about the children who lay in this hospital wing. Their bodies were pale, almost the color of dead fish, with deeply sunken in eyes and sweaty foreheads. Lesions were beginning to break out over their bodies, and their voices were becoming raspy and hoarse.

And this was just the first stage. The adults in "B" wing were far, far worse off. Their forms had become something...inhuman. Flesh had turned into a disturbing sticky membrane, made of multicolored patches of grayish flesh fused together. Their nails sometimes stretched out like witch claws, their teeth becoming pointed and thick, losing their voices to animalistic growls as they struggled in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of what they were becoming...vaguely.

The final stage was indescribable. And, regrettably...Erick had been unable to keep a patient he'd been getting close to OUT of that final stage. He had quickly progressed from the first to the third, and now was, in a sentence, a bloody, pus-filled mess.

The child had been eight years old.

"Hey." Princess sat down by Erick von Hayden-Muir and placed a single hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Pirate-Who-Doesn't-Do-Anything, what's wrong?"

"...I don't think we're going to be able to do enough." He finally managed to get out. "Let's be honest, Princess." He stood up then, pacing around in the hospital room, eyes narrowed, tone rising in anger and frustration as he felt heat begin to swell in him. "What can we really do? I tell my pirate stories. We give them comfort food. We sing songs."

"Erick-"

Erick waved his arms in the air, his tone becoming almost mocking, as if he was trying to insult himself. **_"La-la-la-la-la-la-la, hope you get well soon! La-la-la-la-la-la-la, have a heart-shaped-balloon!"_**

Erick felt Princess grab his arms, tugging them down as she glared deeply into his eyes, pink-gold into reddish brown. "We'll GET more people in here to help. The Caterpillar and his Echo Squad are arriving here today."

"To what? Force someone to cheer up and thus combat the disease? This isn't...GAH!" Erick shoved her away, going to a wall and resting one hand against it as he rubbed his head with his other hand, his tone dropping to a soft, sad murmur. "We need a real cure. We're just...we're getting swamped by all of this. Why the hell can't the Red Queen assist? Or the White Queen?"

"They're at war. Again. The Red Queen is fighting over some stupid territory."

"Who's B decided to side with?" Erick instantly thought of the masked, cloaked "B", an involuntary shiver running through his veins.

"The White Queen."

_Oh no._ He thought to himself. Someone with the hair trigger of Jehovah levying his fury at the Red Queen's armies. _It won't be a fight. It'll be a slaughter._

"Poor bastards." Erick let go of the wall and turned back to Princess, arms folded as he thought about what he was going to say. An idea, a small but sure one, was forming. "...Princess, recently...someone arrived at my estate by accident. An intruder, some kind of spy the likes of which we've never seen. And he's got...unusual powers. I want to try something with him, and I think it could bring something out...something that maybe, just maybe, we can really use-"

"You think this intruder has the potential for a cure in him, is that it?" Princess asked, raising an eyebrow, shifting her body to a skeptical pose as she smirked a little. "Alright, blondie. You think you got a lead, then I'd say go for it."

...

...

...

... "I regret...going for it." Erick said as he finished his tale to Junior. "The day I went for it...was the day everything went wrong. It was the day that Dr. Rolar lost his wife, who had volunteered to be a medic over in the White Queen's army. It was the day that my daughter suffered a...accident."

His face was suddenly flushed and he lowered his head slightly. Esther placed a hand over her face and took several long, deep breaths, trying to calm herself. It was obvious to Junior what had happened, he could sense the deep loss that she had endured, the loss that came from a mother losing her child.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, reaching out and taking Esther's other hand in his paw, his face mournful, a genuine expression of regret present. She nervously accepted it, lowering her other hand and placing it on top of his paw as Erick chewed on his lip. "I understand what you went through. My father back at home saw such a thing with his own eyes, it...the pain never goes away."

"No...it doesn't, really." Esther admitted. "But I like to think I got off lucky. That day, the quarantine at Riverdale was broken by a breach of security, and...well..." She leaned back in her seat, sighing sadly. "The Caterpillar lost most of his platoon."

There was something in that. Some buried emotion that made Junior feel there was more to it than that. _Got off lucky? She'd lost her child. How could the Caterpillar have-_

Unless...

"He lost family?" Junior realized, eyes widening suddenly.

"Got it in one. He lost his sons and daughters." Erick interjected. "The Echo Squad was made up of he and Tak's children and not a one survived."

"And the Red Queen?"

A long, deep, drawn in breath. "...the Red Queen had conscripted certain...individuals who met a certain...CRITERIA..."

He flinched at the word. Disgust was oozing off of every syllable that the dark-skinned ruler used. "Into her army. Drafted particular members of a certain race. It was the best deal most of them could find: a steady paycheck benefits...and they were unaware that THEY would be fighting at the front lines in a little thing called "Operation Human Shield"."

Junior felt the bile begin to rise as Erick went on to explain how these same "lucky members of the Red Queen's honor guard" had THEN had the honor collecting and burying the dead, which meant exposure to disease and infection. And these poor fools had been shipped back home in trains to their families, who then caught what THEY had. One thing had led to another, and Romany homes and towns were dropping dead of things like dysentery and yellow fever.

The Red Queen's solution? Shuttle them off to private areas of Yurp for "their own protection". Which was really another term for "stuffing you into a concentration camp to kill you at an indeterminate amount of time".

"Her daughter suggested most of this. The girl has a sick mind." Erick mumbled as they finally reached their stop, the doors to the subway opening up as they headed up a long, long flight of stairs to, oddly enough, a fairground.

A fairground? How odd. Odder still, there were dozens of Romany hanging around, all gypsies dressed in various tattered yet silky clothes. Most of their faces were lined with dirt and grime, fingernails caked with mud, but all of them only looked up briefly at the newcomers, save for one, a dark-haired youth with a strange, almost flame-like tattoo underneath one eye. He wore a fairly thick jacket and had a slightly thin figure, with deep-set, worldly eyes gazing at the three of them.

"Josef, meet Junior. Junior, Josef." Esther said, cheerfully smiling at this gypsy, who looked Junior over with a faint interest in his eyes. "Josef, we brought Junior here to ask you if you had collected anything that resembles a seal."

"...a seal?" Josef asked calmly, one eyebrow rising up ever-so-slightly. His tone was slightly low, almost quiet, and there was a faint exotic accent to it, no doubt acquired from living amongst Gypsies. However, he seemed to understand what Esther was asking as his eyes widened slightly, a smile spreading across his face. "Ahhh, I think I might have what you're looking for."

He motioned for Junior to follow him, and the two made their way deeper into the fairgrounds, past decrepit Ferris wheels and old tents that were moth-eaten and mouldy in smell. There were at least a dozen old carts overturned which had at one point held food of some kind, but were now filled with termites happily munching away.

And the smell. UGH. Junior could not stomach the smell. It was a malodorous stench that brought to life images of dumps rising up to the heavens, of meat left out to rot on a barbecue for days on end. Where was that smell coming from?

"I'm going to show you what I found. A friend of mine gave it t me. Said it might be useful to a certain "interested party" and, well, what should happen but an interested party showing up?" Josef laughed. "I trade with Erick and the White Queen all the time, y'know, always finding interesting little pieces they can add to their collection of powerful trinkets. Not that I need 'em."

"What DO you need?" Junior wanted to know as they finally approached a hall of mirrors, the large sign advertising the location now reading "All Mir", the rest of the letters long rotted-away.

"Medicine. We've got sick people here." Josef explained. "Especially my mother." He sighed deeply as he pushed the door to the hall of mirrors open, turning to look Junior squarely in the eyes. "Do you promise to keep what I'm about to tell you a secret?"

"Yes." Junior said instantly. He could tell that something was clearly bothering this young man, and he nodded his head.

"The Red Queen refuses to give my people ANY medical treatment, yet has the audacity to demand to Erick that he hand over medical supplies so she can treat her subjects. The ones that DON'T have "filthy Gypsy blood". So he decided to say 'screw her' and has been only letting medical supplies run to us, and we, in turn, sneak them into Romany camps whenever we get the chance."

Josef smirked broadly, showing off pearly white teeth as they made their way into the hall of mirrors, going to a closet. "There are underground passageways that stretch for MILES under the kingdoms. But only we Romany know of them. The plan is to one day just escape Yurp completely, but we want all of our people to be fit as fiddles for that so it can go smoothly."

"I don't think that's..." Junior hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I do not agree with the Red Queen forbidding your kind from getting treatment, but Erick is being just as cruel in refusing treatment to anyone who ISN'T a gypsy. He is doing this half out of SPITE, I'd imagine-"

"Look...Junior, was it?" Josef asked as he opened up the closet, pulling out a large duffel bag of blue and black. He felt almost bad about what he was about to say, but it was necessary to prick this poor idiot's bubble. "I can see your whole history in your eyes. You, you have that "thing". That spark within you, call it natural leadership, call it "divine right", whatever "it" is, you've got it. Good fortune came naturally to you. God practically kisses your ass, am I right? But me?"

Josef led Junior back utside of the hall of mirrors and the two sat down on a nearby bench that had less rot on it than the others. "I was born with nothing. I've had to struggle and connive and claw your way to get where I am, you get me?" He asked, tilting his head to the side slightly, dark blue/purple eyes gazing deeply into Junior's red and blue ones. "Mom taught me that sometimes God gives you what you want, and sometimes he doesn't. But if he does, you'll be damn grateful for it. I learned that you had to take what little you could get and sometimes, even to GET just a little, you need to do things you're not proud of."

"I "get" you. But there's a line." Junior said. "Black and white. Good and evil. What Erick is doing is not right. And it's bordering close to evil."

"Funny thing about black and white...you mix those two just a BIT and you get grey. And no matter how much you-" Josef began to say.

"Oh come off it, nobody who's truly good believes in such drivel." Junior told him, looking irritated. "Motive, intent, means, THESE are what matter. And there is always another way." He was becoming genuinely offended. He had NEVER met any leaders so spiteful and selfish as the ones he was coming into contact with over and over again. Even the worst members of the GFA were slightly considerate of other planets, but this?

"There ISN'T any other way. The Red Queen would NEVER listen to anyone in the Majestic Council about the Romany people." Josef said as he reached into the duffel bag. "So we've got no choice but to be sneaky and morally ambiguous."

"I could convince her." Junior said calmly. "My friends and I seek the Seal of Metatron to take Manifest Destiny's powers if he refuses to help us with creating a cure for the plague that ravages this world. I think...yes, yes."

A smile spread across his face. "I think an addendum to our list of demands is in order. We'll cure the Red Queen's people if she stops oppressing yours."

"...why would you do that for us?" Josef wanted to know.

"Do I **NEED** a reason?" Junior said, looking almost offended at Josef's words.

This wasn't entirely extortion. It was a matter of "you scratch my back". Compromise. And Junior was just fine with compromising, especially if it meant one: getting home and two: protecting innocent lives.

"...well." Josef folded his arms, letting out a long, deep breath as the two sat there on the bench for what seemed to be many hours, the rotten leaves in the trees being slowly blown around them. "...if you mean that, then...I might be able to help you. The friend who gave me this seal piece?" He asked, holding up what was unmistakably a part of the Seal of Metatron. "He's been tracking down Manifest Destiny for, like, EVER, and he's getting close to finding where that white-haired weirdo calls home. I can arrange a meeting for you two, I think he'd appreciate what you're trying to do."

"Well, that's wonderful!" Josef said cheerily. "What is his name-"

It was then that Junior's ears perked up, he could hear his name and Josef's name being called out shrilly by Erick and his daughter. He quickly stood up, eyes widening, pocketing the seal in his vest as he saw the lord of Lewistania approaching him.

"We have a "situation". We need...to get to...to get to Indonesia, IMMEDIATELY." Erick managed to heave out, holding his sides, trying to desperately catch his breath. "

"Why?" Josef inquired, a confused expression on his face.

"The Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Irwin, declared war on The Caterpillar's territory. He's invading Indonesia." Esther explained, since her father was still trying to catch his breath. She wrung her hands, a feeling of dread rising off her body like steam. "And...and B has sided with the Caterpillar."

"B?" Junior blinked. "Do you mean that black-cloaked being I saw?"

"That black-cloaked being slaughtered the Red Queen's troops on "that day". Thousands died in the first half an hour." Erick insisted. "We need to stop him. **NOW.** Before there's nothing left of Australia to be spared."

_Oh God, no._ Junior thought in his head. _Please, no more cruelty, I don't think my heart can take it._

...

...

...

...the inky blackness didn't last long. Ashton found himself landing squarely on top of a scaly form that let out an angered screech, and came face to face with King...and the now-hissing-mad Dr. Rolar, who drew himself to full height, glaring down at Ashton and his "lower, lesser self".

"Ashton, RUN." King whispered harshly, quickly jumping up and holding up a fist, a burning black flame enveloping it as he tried to cast a spell. "I'll hold him off."

"Oh, that's funny." Dr. Rolar laughed, his tail knocking King straight through the air of the private bedroom, slamming through the door and out into the hallway, going right across the hallway and into the next room over, a boarded-up, decrepit place...

His body hit the floor, and he was suddenly falling, falling, screaming in surprise and fury and denial. No, no, he couldn't leave that poor child alone with HIM...

But leave him alone he had. And not merely with Dr. Rolar, who stood there calmly, looking down with pitiless amusement, golden eyes a glitter. A new and familiar figure had entered the room, and now had Ashton pinned to the floor, bulbous white eyes gazing down at him.

"Don't worry my boy." Dr. Rolar said calmly, his sibilant voice smooth and calm, unaware of the door that was slowly opening behind him. "Once the first one gets inside you, you won't even feel the rest."

The Hanged Thing's stench was that of days' old corpses left to rot in a tree, it's strength almost superhuman. It kept Ashton firmly in place, it's maw slowly, calmly opening. This thing was in no hurry, even as greenish, worm-like intestines slowly lowered over Ashton's face.

"_**And the worms crawl in, and the worms crawl out...**_" Dr. Rolar sang out in a gleeful gashion. "I'm just going to stand here and watch you die, boy. I'm in no hurry. Don't worry, though. I'll keep the girl alive much longer than-"

The sharp crack of bullets firing echoed through the room as the thing atop of Ashton went flying, hitting the wall like a ripe melon and falling down into chunks, the bullets having ripped it's decayed, undead body apart. whipped around, too late, too late, a sharp KRAKA-CRUCK and his head now had a neat little hole in the center. He let out a soft, mumbling groan, his entire frame slumping low as Frequency stepped into the room, helping Ashton up.

"That won't keep him dead for long. Let's get moving." Frequency said, shoving Ashton into out of the room and taking his hand, leading him down the hallway. "We need to get to the library. NOW."

Unfortunately that's when something happened. Something with a hair-covered face and pants of tied-together flesh let out a roar and leapt forth from a hallway closet, and it and Frequency tumbled into another room, leaving Ashton alone...

And Dr. Rolar had regained his mental faculties.

**DAVEIGH**

The attic was filled with hundreds of photo albums and journals, all stacked up on top of each other, a smell of mothballs and memories lingering in the air as tiny dust motes drifted by my head. We didn't have an attic at our house, not in this sense...just a sort of closet. Eight by ten, small, stuffy...

This was much, much different. And all of it carried an aura of melancholy to it. I reached for a nearby book, a large one, glancing through it. As I sat down to read and turned the pages, I became aware of something...

The picture was moving. I blinked a few times in confusion and horror, but that horror soon changed to a vague sense of comfort. This wasn't a frightening image. King was standing there with his children on the front porch of an old cabin, waving at his wife, who had just come back from town with what appeared to be groceries. He kissed her on the forehead and they headed inside the house, an image of a family sitting down for dinner becoming clear through one of the cabin's large windows.

The next photograph, one below, showed Patricia tending to some wisteria by the house, desperately trying to get it under control. She was speaking with King about it, who had one hand raised up, ready to cast a spell, but no, no, Patricia continued to shake her head, and I had a feeling I knew why: the Irish woman wanted this done "old school". No magic.

The next photograph was...adult rated.

Oh WOW. How did he fit all of that into his **PANTS?** Shouldn't he have-

I did NOT understand sapient biology, true, but I didn't feel like a lesson in sex education at the moment. So I blushed and looked away, waiting for "it" to finish, which, eventually, it did. The two lay in bed now, just looking into each other's eyes, Patricia watching her husband as he slept. But there was something in her eyes, some deep nervousness that seemed to keep her from wanting to get closer. Patricia's hands lingered close to his shoulder, as if she wanted to caress him, but no...

No. She brought it back, chewing on her fist slightly, looking almost ashamed.

I was so entranced by all of this I didn't hear HER as she slunk up behind. Didn't see her until the crack to my head had me reeling on the ground, unconsciousness slowly claiming me. "You shouldn't be here. I'm...I'm sorry..."

**KING**

I awoke to find myself in, of all places...the library.

A library that was not truly a library at all, but a laboratory.

Walls of steely gray and a tiled floor of silver, with odd machinery lining the far end of the room, some distance away from the unmistakable sight of Daveigh and Ashton floating within two enormous capsules...

Capsule tubes that had been filled to the brim with what appeared to be some kind of blood. It was amazing how they were still alive, and both were banging desperately upon the glass of the capsules, seeking to break free-

No, not to break free. Daviegh's face was filled with concern not for herself, but for me. She was mouthing something-

I whipped around, coming face to face with none other than myself, as I...no, as **Dr. Rolar** smirked calmly at me, steepling his claws together...

My dear Patricia standing far to the side, rubbing her arm slightly, looking downcast. I clenched my fist so tightly I almost drew blood as I rose from the steely floor, glaring balefully at my disgusting lesser self. "How...dare...you." I hissed out, bile filling my every syllable as I summoned forth a scimitar into my hands, the familiar sweet bliss of magic going through my veins like soldiers marching, marching on.

A smirk. He was amused by this.

"You let them go now."

"And WHY would I do that?" He laughed. "There's not a single trick you can do that I wouldn't see coming."

"It DISGUSTS me to know that you share my face and yet haven't a SHRED of my honor." I spat at him, my eyes becoming furious slits, a heat rising in me that I never thought I'd ever feel again. I wanted to make this thing HURT. I wanted to rip it's head off and munch it's eyeballs. I wanted to rip it's HEART out.

"Ohhhh, "a SHRED of my honor", HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" He laughed, slapping his forehead, hissing with glee as he turned away from me. "That's funny. You're funny. But you are the flea that thinks itself a giant. All talk. No action. When I say I'm going to do something, I mean it. Isn't that right, Patty?"

Dr. Rolar turned to Patricia, who nervously nodded over in his direction. She was clearly cowed by him. Suddenly I found myself saying something that should have waited until after we were safe. Something that I couldn't surpress.

"Why...did...you...leave...me."

Patricia looked at me then. Green into gold. Human and sapient. The Eve to my Adam. I waited for what seemed to be a long, long time. And she looked like, for an instant, she was going to say something, glancing back from Dr. Rolar to me, but then it all went to Hades as Dr. Rolar finally made his move, clapping his hands together...

And with that, he and I were suddenly at the top of the abandoned laboratory, a dark, overcast sky blotting out the sun overhead as he rose up higher and higher, his body elongating, arms and legs melting into his chest as he transformed into his serpentine figure. He laughed at me, high, cold, sibilant. "Come on! Why are you so nervous about what I'm about to do to your friends? I won't hurt them. I'll PERFECT them. They're broken. They need to be fixed."

His tail shot out, but I was faster than he, leaping backwards, slicing at it. Regrettably, I missed, but at least...so had he.

Unfortunately his next comments hit home, making me stiffen in fury and disgust. A soft, taunting croon. "I've been fixing Ophie and Ninnikins for a loooong time. Would you like to see some of the modifications I've made? You would not believe the pain tolerance they have, ah, but I suppose that comes from having such a strong fath-"

"YOU ARE NOT THEIR FATHER! **YOU ARE NOT THEIR FATHER!**" I screamed, rushing forward, the bloodwrath upon me as I hacked and cleaved at him with my scimitar, snarling and spitting with rage as his laughter kept echoing in my head.

It was then that I heard it. A voice. One that sounded faintly familiar, and yet strange to the ears, singing softly, purposefully as the temperature began to lower, the unmistakable droplets of cold rain striking at our scales. And I saw him, saw him once again, that white-haired being I had laid eyes upon before. He rose up from atop an enormous pillar of ice, gazing at us with eyes that were calm and purposeful, a thousand colors shining out and blending together as he sang.

**_In your mind's eye...there's a memory, hard to find, blinded by sorrow...  
And a cold voice...sings a melody, hear him sing..._**

With that, he raised his hands up high, a grin spreading across his face.

**_Hell frozen rain falls..._**

The hands came down.

**_DOWN!_**

The rain fell, heavy and hard, like sleet that had dropped straight out of Hell's last circle, battering our bodies...but I could barely feel it in my rage. No, all that mattered was seeing HIM dead. I leapt through the air, the scimitar slashing him across the face, blood spraying out, almost freezing in midair as ice began to form around the laboratory.

Daveigh and Ashton were, at the moment, becoming freed by the white-haired man, who spun around, hands held high as he danced in an oddly trance-like fashion, the rain cutting through all of the home, washing it away as if it was blood off of someone's hands...rain that was meant to cleanse all sins. Patricia helped them up as the man continued to sing, his voice passionate, heartfelt, almost making me forget what I wanted to do.

Almost.

**_She can't hear your voice...  
She can't hear you caaaall...  
You have burned your choice...  
If you're here, caaaaan you prove you're really here?_**

With that, he spun around, the rain beginning to fall even faster as I tossed the scimitar away. I wanted to FEEL this thing's flesh covered in blood, wanted to slice with my own claws. I dug into his body, snarling angrily, my tail lashing as he writhed and howled in agony. I let out a satisfied hiss and leapt for his head, striking him hard with my fist.

"YOU'LL! NEVER! TOUCH! THEM! AGAIN!" I snarled as we collapsed off the roof, reeling and churning on the icy ground below, frozen rain battering our bodies as everything around us seemed to slowly grind to a halt.

**_There is a moment in time!  
When all the cards that you've played diviiide!  
You feel the temperature diiiiive!  
And all your demons inside come crashing through!_**

"That's it!" He snarled, laughing coldly, striking me across the face, making me taste blood as I was launched back, seeing my friends standing by Patricia in the open wreckage of the laboratory, Dr. Rolar rising higher into the air. "Change! _Get CRAZY!_ You know you want to..." He whispered.

I held my hands up, feeling the darkest of the black arts I had flow through my arms and into my claws, poison dripping off in thick waves as I yearned to bury my claws in this thing's bones-

Then I saw her face.

SAW it.

I saw fear and terror. I saw horror and sorrow.

I saw my wife and I realized then...I realized why she had left me.

"...you're _afraid_ of me. Of...of me turning into THIS." I realized, speaking softly, tearfully, the rain slowly becoming a gentle pitter-pat on my scales as Dr. Rolar seemed to visibly shrink, Patricia quivering, clinging tightly to herself as I fell to my knees...

I felt something pouring down my cheeks.

And it was not rain.

"Patty." I whispered, sobbing tearfully. "Why didn't you TELL me? I...I would **NEVER** do that to you. I **love** you and our children. I have **ALWAYS** loved you. Don't you...don't you ever doubt that."

"...King, I...I'm _sorry._" Patty whimpered, covering her face with her hands.

And with that, Dr. Rolar was no longer Dr. Rolar. Now he was me, staring back into my face, a mirror image weeping as openly as I was for an instant...finally fading away as I slowly sank into the ground, unconsciousness claiming me...

...

...

...

...I watched them gently lift him up...carrying him back to the town. I had done what I had needed to do. Anyone else would have done the same.

The issues he had with his wife were not going to go away so easily. But he finally understood what she had been so worried about. That was a step in the right direction. A big one. A necessary one.

And together, they were gonna work this out.

Yet though I wanted to feel warm, fuzzy feelings over this, instead, all I could see in my mind's eye was the afterimage that kept being burnt into my mind...

"**_Life is cold here... Empty hallowed ground,  
In my head...blood-colored rain..._**

Falls...

...doooown..."


	8. Faster than a Jackrabbit

****

REVERSAL  
-

_War is a quarrel between two thieves too cowardly to fight their own battle; therefore they take boys from one village and another village, stick them into uniforms, equip them with guns, and let them loose like wild beasts against each other. Thomas Carlyle, as quoted by Emma Goldman in "Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty"._

8  
FASTER THAN A JACKRABBIT

If he lived to be a thousand years old, Junior would never, ever, ever understand the purpose behind war. Perhaps it was his natural abilities. Perhaps it was the way he could get people to listen to each other and work things out. Perhaps it was his pacifistic attitude. Perhaps it was simply because his home was used to peace and quiet.

True...it could be all of those reasons. But the biggest reason for confusion had to come from his analysis of the motivations behind war. And in this case-

"Wait, WHAT?!" Junior shouted angrily as he was led back into the subway train, heading for an airstrip some distance away. They'd be taking a jet plane to the country of Indonesia, and if they were lucky, they'd be there in about an hour or so. If they were lucky. But Junior wanted an explanation for the malarkey he'd just heard.

"Jeez, tone it down, you're blowing out my eardrums-"

"What kind of STUPID, INANE reason is that?!"

"Ugh. Your kind thinks it's so easy to just "not want to murder people". It's natural, so...so very natural." Josef explained as he sat in the subway with them, deciding to join them for the ride, half out of boredom and half out of amusement for the whole scenario. "Evil thoughts are part of human nature."

"No, they're not." Junior muttered balefully. "That's a fallacious argument and that reason you gave me is STILL malarkey!"

Apparently, Mr. Irwin had, just last year, been invited over to Japan to meet with the Caterpillar and his wife. In fact, the Caterpillar had invited all of the lords and ladies of the Majestic Council to his luxurious estate upon Mt. Fuji to celebrate a very, very happy event involving his wife...

...

...

...

... "I'm still somewhat confused over this. Why are you HAPPY about being divorced?" Princess wanted to know, raising one eyebrow up as she stood by a large table. There were hundreds of ornately-designed foodstuffs upon this white-clothed rectangular table, with an enormous crystalline punch bowl in the center, and streamers of red with golden letters were hung all over the room, spelling out various Japanese phrases wishing good fortune and happiness.

Well, most. Some of the decorators were giggling over one in the corner that was directly put over the Red Queen, who kept looking up at it, then at the decorators. "What's so funny?" She wanted to know. She was wearing a very stylish red outfit complete with a set of rings on each hand, a pearl necklace and a butterfly clip in her hair. Red, of course. Interestingly, what came to the Red Princess's mind as she gazed upon her mom was "Carrie". All that was needed was for someone to dump some pig's blood n her mom and things would get CRAZY up in here.

"Uh...someone has played quite the mean trick on you, if you do not mind me telling you frankly." The Monarch spoke up. No, no, not "Monarch" anymore. Now she was simply "Tak". Names like that were only for the rulers, and she wasn't the co-ruler anymore. "Don't you know what that sign says?"

"No, I don't speak Japanese!" The Red Queen said, shaking her head back and forth. "Though I LOVE your outfit." She added.

True, it was a nice dress. Long sleeves, a gown that covered her legs and feet, a tiara upon her head and a necklace also made of the same purple crystal as the tiara. Highlights brought out the color of her eyes, and she was wearing a set of golden rings around her wrists with the inscription of "Happy Forever" carefully emblazoned within.

"The banner says "This dish cheap, but unmistakably tasty"." Tak giggled.

"...PPPPFFFFFFFTTT." The Red Queen tried to desperately contain her laughter, but to no avail. That WAS funny!

"My dear, we're not married anymore." The Caterpillar explained to Princess, spreading his arms wide before he curled his serpentine body around her slightly, patting her on the head. "We're two independent people who enjoy each other's company and are perfectly happy. We're the OPPOSITE of married." He laughed. "Oh, and...I THINK you might recognize that person over...there." He pointed to a single table in the back of the enormous ballroom the party was taking place in.

Princess blinked as the Caterpillar uncurled around her and she headed over to said end of the room.

"...Manifest." Princess said gently as she approached him. "...how come you're here?"

"The Caterpillar and I ran into each other on the streets of Toyko." The terrorist said, placing his hands neatly on the table, pushing some _gyoza_ and dipping sauce away. He had a friendly voice, as always, but also as always, was looking at Princess with unmistakable regret in his eyes. "...we haven't seen each other in a while, huh?"

"...no."

"...look, Sari, I...we've not really had the time to talk about how we felt-" He began to say. But unfortunately, Princess was not interested. She left the table, leaving the terrorist alone, making him hang his white-haired head and shake it back and forth.

_"Nice going, you fool."_ He thought to himself. _"I should have remembered she's still too sore about what we had."_

"You do realize I cannot let you stay here forever." The Caterpillar informed Manifest Destiny, slinking up to his table. "I'm grateful that you agreed to join the festivities, and grateful for the divorcing present you gave me. Be that as it may, you're still an international criminal and if you step outside of this hotel in an attempt to leave early, the Japanese police will put so many bullets into you that not even dental records would be helpful."

"...I'll keep that in mind." The terrorist calmly commented, raising an eyebrow. "And you're welcome for "it", by the way. I know that Monar-er, Tak, finds that sort of thing irresistible."

"Why, what did you give him?" Esther wanted to know, walking over to the table as Manifest Destiny smiled tenderly at her.

"Bath rocks. They make your body smell springtime fresh. Or, in his case, like black liquorices."

"My ex-wife positively adores black liquorices-oh!" The Caterpillar turned his head to the side, seeing a familiar, dirty-blond-haired human walk into the hotel with his family and a small armed guard, "just in case". "Steven, my dear, dear friend, how GOOD of you to come!" The alien being laughed happily, hurrying over to the prime minister of Australia to embrace the aussie and his family one at a time. "Please, have a seat! Have something to drink!"

"How come EE's here?" Mr. Irwin inquired, pointing at Manifest Destiny with an annoyed expression. "Bugger oughta be SHOT."

"The "bugger" is a guest and is under my protection for the weekend. We're all here to relax and enjoy ourselves as my divorce papers are finalized." The Caterpillar explained calmly, shrugging his shoulders as he led the Australians over to a white-clothed round table, several other members of his species all helping them into their seats, with a Japanese waiter eager to take their orders.

"I need to, um, powder my nose first." Ms. Irwin spoke up nervously.

"Oh, that's...gonna be a problem. See, uh..there's no toilet paper." Manifest Destiny warned the Prime Minister and his wife.

"...**what**?"

"Oh, yes, ah, we're trying something new. You'll have to use the three shells." Tak explained, pulling out a small box from her purse and opening it up to show three sea shells.

"...seashells."

"Yep. It's how we did it back home."

"...I'm going to need some help with this." Ms. Irwin said as she and Tak headed for the bathroom, Manifest Destiny trying to suppress giggles as he silently thanked the Lord he thought to bring his own toilet paper.

"He takes VERY good care of his staff. Perhaps too good." The White Queen admitted as she sipped on some punch with Kualili, looking at the waiter and at the decorators, who were wheeling out a ice sculpture that looked entirely like the Caterpillar and his wife in the middle of what was obvious an intense and passionate kiss. "I have NEVER seen a fatter staff in all my life."

"They've been "Americanized". They're all fat, lazy, and bad at math." Princess wisecracked, sneaking her head between the two and smirking broadly as Mr. Irwin began to pour himself a big, tall glass of wine from a bottle of "Château N'Wesa'Wuggawugga that had been wheeled out. "I kid, I kid. He probably thinks a happy and fat employee is a good employee, that's all."

"Employees? More like "slaves". They do EVERYTHING the Caterpillar's race asks of them and they're always so cheery about it. I don't think it's healthy to be constantly happy ALL the time, it's like they're zombies." Kualili admitted, folding his arms, growling slightly and showing off his considerably sharp fangs. "I half expect to open up a door in this hotel and see them snacking on some poor tourist's brains."

"Don't JOKE about that." Erick von Hayden-Muir said as he passed by them, carrying another gift for the Caterpillar's wife, shaking his head back and forth. "That's not funny!"

"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting, my apologies." Kualili apologized, bowing his head in deferment as Erick nodded coldly at him, heading off for where the presents were kept to the side of the room. "I keep forgetting he saw the horrors of the deadly pandemic first hand... poor man." The white-furred being spoke sadly.

"It's a shame, you know?" Mr. Irwin insisted as he nodded in the Caterpillar's direction, his wife having returned from the bathroom to partake of some wine herself. "Many people in other countries "poo-poo" my country's table wines."

"A darn shame, a true pity. Many fine Australian wines appeal not only to the Australian palate but also to the cognoscenti of MY species as well." The Caterpillar admitted, nodding his head sagely. "Black Stump Bordeaux is rightly praised as a peppermint flavored Burgundy, whilst a good Sydney Syrup can rank with any of the world's best sugary wines."

"Indeed, and Château Blue, too, has won many prizes; not least for its taste, and its lingering afterburn. Old Smokey 1968 has been compared favorably to a Welsh claret, whilst the Australian Wino Society thoroughly recommends a 1970 Coq du Rod Laver, which, believe me, has a kick on it like a mule." Irwin laughed, downing a glass of wine himself. "Hee-hee..."

"I'm so glad to be able to enjoy this." The Caterpillar took a deep sip of wine, letting out a long and deep sigh as he did so. "As you know, my Religion has strict guidelines against indulgence, more than a few glasses of wine...or really almost ANYTHING...is illegal."

"I don't really get that. Why?"

"Well, smoking is not good for you, and my people feel that anything not good for you is bad; hence, illegal. This means Alcohol, caffeine...contact sports..." The Caterpillar sniggered.

"OYYYY!"

"Kidding, kidding!"

"You BUM." Mr. Irwin laughed, letting out a belchy burp.

"Well, I THINK someone needs to take a break."

"I'm good, really."

"Not YOU." The Caterpillar commented, pointing over to Irwin's wife, who had fallen clear out of her chair and was giggling. Tak sighed slightly, helping the poor woman up and gently patting her on the back.

"I'll go bring her to her room." Tak informed them, heading out of the ballroom as Mr. Irwin waved goodbye.

"Personally, I prefer Melbourne Old & Yellow." Kualili admitted, giving a toothy grin as he poured himself some wine. "It's particularly heavy and really works well in hand-to-hand combat. Also, it's a color name. My whole family LOVES color names. My father's named Liath, my mother's named Niebieski, my sister's named Rouge..."

"Well, "Kualili" is a very pretty name." The White Queen insisted as she smiled at her White Knight.

"Tell that to my brother, Braun."

...

...

...

... "So, the wedding went fairly well, and naturally, over the weekend, we all were treated like kings and queens by the Caterpillar, and went home nice and fat. It took MONTHS to work off all the food, let me tell you." Erick went on as they reached the air strip, rushing across pavement to the waiting streamlined black jet that lay there, ready for use. "And speaking of months, within a few months, Mr. Irwin realized that his wife's weight wasn't dropping. And it didn't take him long to figure out that apparently, at some point in the weekend when he hadn't been with her, his wife had been-"

"But STILL." Junior shook his head back and forth. "To plot to go to war over such a thing? To risk innocent lives for that?"

"It's a matter of personal honor for him." Esther admitted, sighing slightly as they took their respective seats in the plane. "It was his wife that the Caterpillar apparently took advantage of, and the fact that she didn't even remember exactly when it happened that made it worse. He must have drugged her and..."

Esther folded her hands in her lap. "We don't know why the Caterpillar did that. Maybe there was some slight that Mr. Irwin had levied at him and he felt this would be a way to get "even". But the point is moot now, because Mr. Irwin has decided that the "fair" response to his wife giving birth to several Irken children is to wage war against the Caterpillar's Kingdom."

Speaking of the Caterpillar, the monocle-wearing insectoid leader was now resting one hand atop the other as he spoke solemnly, sadly, through a video conference screen at Mr and Mrs. Irwin, who gazed furiously upon him with barely-repressed rage.

"You've been planning this for quite some time, haven't you?" The Caterpillar inquired. "I admit, I was slightly worried you'd try something like this, but to think you've been planning for such a contingency for probably many years..."

"We SUSPECTED you and your kind were up to something. We wondered why you were chosen to lead, how quickly you came to power in the continent. At last, it comes out...at last, we understand. And at last we have an excuse to finally use what we've collected." Mr. Irwin spoke, clenching his fists tightly as he sat on board the jet that was taking him and his wife to the frontlines. It would only be a matter of minutes before he reached Indonesia, where the Caterpillar and his forces were.

The Caterpillar let out a long, deep sigh as he closed his monocles, the "eyes" tightly held shut. "Steven, please, think of how this will look. All this because I knocked up your wife? Nobody is going to believe you're in the right, even if you try and explain your full reasons-"

"We've got munitions flown in from all over the world and a well-trained army. Whether you have B on your side or not, we'll take as many of your kind with you as we can. Maybe we can't change the world, but we can make a dent, and make Armageddon look like a pussy civil-war reenactment."

"You're going against the will of God by acting this way. You really want to wage war on God?"

"This isn't a war against GOD." Ms. Irwin hissed angrily, banging her fists into her chair's armrests and glaring at the Caterpillar with near-tear-filled eyes. "It's a war against his believers who have their heads up their ass and who've misinterpreted his messages."

"Misinterpretation or not, we believe in the messages so strongly that we've obeyed His edict against weapons of war. You're attacking an utterly unarmed people." The monocle-wearing monarch said, looking genuinely hurt, as if he was an African American who had been called the "n-word", or a Jew who had been called the "k-word".

His words seemed to hit home for a brief moment, and the Caterpillar saw a genuine flicker or regret and mournful grief flicker across the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Irwin.

"Better safe then...you know." Mr. Irwin finally decided, shaking his head.

"Steven. I am willing to give you a chance to surrender." The Caterpillar spoke persuasively. "Submit to us. We'll take good care of you all. We will not make you suffer."

"I can't do that."

"...then I'm sorry." The Caterpillar said mournfully, a single claw reaching for the "Power Off" button on the screen. "Truly, I am."

CLICK.

He steepled his claws, eyes closed as he hung his head down ever-so-slightly, momentarily turning to B as he stood by his wife.

"B, please. Try and go easy on them. I want to spare as many of them as possible."

B gave a "hmph" and left the room, energy swirling around his darkened hand like a fine mist as Tak nervously rubbed the back of her neck, one hand resting on her hip. "This shall not end well."She insisted. "...it'll be such a waste."

"The eyes of the world are going to be watching us. We must be nothing less than perfect. So..."

A deep, long sigh.

"Let us get to the front lines. It wouldn't be such a bad day to die...such a bad WAY to die..."

...

...

...

... there they stood in their battalions, tall fit men, chests puffed out and dressed in sky blue uniforms. Greatcoats, boots, helmets, and guns held at their side. Long, serrated knives hanging motionlessly from their belts. Each face stone hard, clean-shaven and the dark holes in each of their eyes told you immediately their job was to kill. No second thoughts. No hesitation. Shoot, stab, punch, kick. They will fight for their country. They will DIE for their country. Field by field. Shore by shore. City by city. One rat at a time.

The trenches, leftovers from wars long past, were twisted and turned. All of that had been done so that the defending forces could "enfilade" attacks, or fire on them from several sides if the need arose...and it appeared as though the need was going to arise again. The faint smell of the ocean drifted through the air, they were only a few miles away from the ocean, after all.

B stood upon the plains, calmly rubbing his pointer and thumb together, his other arm held under the first as he nonchalantly loafed around, the assembled Kingdom Army about half a mile away. He noticed Prime Minister Irwin approaching in on a helicopter, what appeared to be a rocket launcher lifted up onto one shoulder, a sight that made the cloaked and hooded being of vengeance chuckle for a moment.

"If you just stay still, you won't have to suffer as you die." He calmly replied in a voice that was low and deep, yet somehow able to be heard by everyone for miles as if he was speaking only inches from their ears. Faint amusement had crept into his voice as he calmly held his hands behind his back, looking up at Mr. Irwin.

"Tempting as it sounds, I'm gonna PASS on that." Irwin snapped, aiming the "rocket launcher" at him. Which was, of course, not a rocket launcher at all.

With a shot like barreled lightning racing out across the sky, an enormous, hyper-charged net of some kind slammed into B and pinned him to the ground. The Caterpillar gaped at the sight. How on Earth?

"We had three dozen Aborigine Tribesman chanting over this!" Mr. Irwin said, pointing at the net launcher. "It's been in development for months and now it looks like the field test was successful...an anti-magic stasis inducing net. Say goodnight, gracie!"

"I will peel your-" B tried to get out before his head hit the ground and he let out a long, low groan, sinking into unconsciousness as Mr. Irwin's helicopter lowered a claw down to lift him up into the air.

"Well. Um...it appears as though...we're going to have to fight." The Caterpillar informed his people, placing his hands together and nervously smiling as he tilted his head to the side. "So, uh...well...we...DO have guns...um...and, well, biting!" He nodded. "Yes, biting. That's always good!"

"Zim, WHAT are you doing?" The former Monarch asked, rolling her eyes as she glanced over in Zim's direction as he tried to slit one of his wrists with his plasma pistol.

"WHY DOESN'T IT WORK?!" He sobbed, shaking his head back and forth, body trembling violently.

, piloting the helicopter high above the battlefield, shouted out the order to attack, and with that...it began. The Australian Army rushed forward as Tak, clearly the one who wore the pants, ordered trees to be cut down as fast as possible, and then sharpened into pikelike obstacles. Putting these up at the front of the trenches as a dark sky began to settle over their heads like a heavy blanket threatening to smother them all, the Kingdom Army waited nervously in the trenches.

They didn't have to wait long. The siege of gunfire was near-deafening, jeeps, trucks, hummers, armaments, munitions, rifle fire, machine gun-fire, grenades, all of it leveled in their direction as news helicopters had finally arrived on the scene and were recording the whole scene, taking in the hell that was being unleashed.

"We can see that a great deal of the Kingdom Army has been downed in the initial assault and is managing to pick off the attackers in scattered shots, but...oh, it's practically one-sided." One yellow-jacketed news reporter insisted, shaking her head back and forth, hair bobbing left and right. "They don't stand much of a chance at all...oh GOD, I...oh **GOD!**" She gasped, seeing dark green blood flowing like a river through the trenches.

The Caterpillar had TRIED to protect as many people as he could, having somehow erected a shield around him and all those within a five yard radius, but people kept falling out of the shield, unable to stay in as everyone kept nervously pushing and shoving about in pants-pissing fear of imminent death.

For Tak, it was like being stuck in an elevator, trapped...helpless...and time was running out. They didn't dare MOVE, but the Caterpillar couldn't keep his telekinetic shield up forever. Sweatdrops were breaking out on his brow, and his breath was becoming a heavy series of pants. All around him was a scene of chaos, the Kingdom Army being ripped to shreds by the Australian Forces as the thick stench of blood filled the air.

The Caterpillar had begun to openly sob, tears burning down his cheeks as he wept, the shield beginning to dissapate. It was just too, too much. He couldn't stand seeing this anymore, he just felt so weak and DISGUSTING...

And then...salvation.

**"I! DON'T! APPRECIATE! WHAT! YOU! JUST! DID!"** B's voice roared out as he ripped through the net, the red "eye" slit on his pale white mask blazing with unrepressed fury and a desire to tear and rip. The Australian Army saw B unleashed, and mouths fell open, eyes widening in horror.

The net had failed? How? How had-

Then they saw why. A white-haired figure stood by B, his eyes twinkling like stars as he slowly shook his head back and forth. "This is really your own fault." He told the Australians. "...we're even now, you realize." He yelled out to the Caterpillar, giving a cheerful wave as he slowly vanished from sight. "**_Tell everybody I'm on my way..._**

"Oh hell no." Mr. Irwin gasped.

B roared, rushing forth. Soldiers fell down dead, bodies ripped open, blood pooling in great masses as B let out a leopard-like snarl, people being torn appear piecemeal as those still living screamed in terror, running like madmen for safety, to get back to the boats on the beaches.

"No...no, please, no more." The Caterpillar begged quietly. "Please, stop..."

But B would not stop. His form glowed with pulsing magical energy, like steam rising out from underneath the lid of a bowl of pasta, and he launched wave after wave of purplish/black energy in every direction that wasn't at the Kingdom Army, utterly lost in bloodlust. After a while he seemed bored by this, and leapt through the air, grabbing ahold of several fleeing Australian soldiers, grabbing their heads and crushing their heads like rotten apples.

"**STOP!**

B looked up in time to see a falling form holding an enormous sword high in the air, Erick von Hayden-Muir's red eyes blazing like a slowly-burning fire as he struck hard and fast. The effect was tremendous: lightning seemed to split the air as his sword struck B's facial mask, knocking the masked being back several feet, arms flailing uselessly as he hit muddy ground, Josef and the others landing the jet some distance away. Regrettably there wasn't really a "clear" space to land, but it was either on some decapitated corpses or try to land in the ocean several miles away.

"Enough is enough, B." Erick insisted furiously, holding his enormous two-handed sword up. "There's an old military adage that I find myself desiring to use right now. "If you want a war, let it begin right here." Because unlike those green-scaled pacifists, I CAN fight, and I WILL cripple you if that's what it takes to get you to stop."

"Veiled threats?" B spoke quietly as Junior and Josef ran to join Erick, Esther staying behind in the jet, getting it ready to take off again, the news copters watching from above.

"No. This is the LAW. You've always followed the law the council established, and sided with the side that had the littlest experience in war. Now you'll follow the law and STOP when it's clear that you've WON." Erick growled.

"You don't get to PICK and CHOOSE what laws you follow when it suits your needs!" Junior added, stepping forward and pointing an accusatory finger. "You're supposed to be a leader. So **FUCKING ACT LIKE ONE!**"

They didn't need to be an empathy now...all of them could FEEL it. B was stunned. Josef could imagine his mouth hanging open, a stupid expression on his face as his arms hung loosely at his sides for a moment.

"...I...hmph." He finally shrugged and turned away as Junior lay down next to a wounded solider, lifting the near-dead Australian up. Most of his clothes had been burnt away, and his skin was a horrid charcoal-black color from the fiery waves B had launched across the plains.

"My legs...can't...feel them anymore..." the soldier murmured as Junior chewed into his lip, tears brimming in his eyes.

"We're...we're go-gonna help you, okay? We're...we're gonna help ALL of you." Junior insisted, turning his head to look back at Erick, eyes set like coldly-burning stones. "I'll do what I can with my "Temperance" ability, but who we REALLY need is my friend Heartwing. Here. NOW."

"It's a good thing that the jet's good to go, then." Josef commented. "I'm sure the White Queen will be happy to see us."

...

...

...

...

_What...what ARE you?_

...

No.

...!

NO! No, I WON'T!

!

STAY AWAY FROM ME! STAY AWAY-

Heartwing rubbed his head, panting, sweat droplets visible on his body as he shuddered over and over, clinging to himself as he dragged his green-scaled body out of the white satin-blanketed bed. He, a guest at the White Queen's palace, had been having very, very unpleasant dreams.

"You really should tell me about them. I took courses in psychology, you know." Ember insisted as she sat in a nearby chair, adjusting the little set of glasses on the bridge of her nose, closing up the watch she had in her four-digited paw/hand. She gave Heartwing a tender smile and a suggestive nod, and he sighed deeply.

"Do you REALLY wanna know?" He asked finally, sitting down in a chair some distance from the desk she was at, underneath a large photograph of a white-haired and oddly-familiar figure with a mask over his face and a halo-like crown.

"Yeah, c'mon. I'm not as good as King, but I think I can help, really." She spoke softly, taking out a notepad and a pen to start some note taking as Heartwing leaned back in the chair.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

"I THINK I've been selected to be the host for an quasi-demonic evil spirit/entity that has an appetite for people's souls. It's real name doesn't have a good English translation and sounds like "Jah-bah-woghk-ee" and it likes to talk to me in Latin, which makes me freak out because I could never REMEMBER much Latin from school yet I somehow understand his words perfectly! I keep seeing his afterimage burned into my eyes every time I close them..."

Ember blinked a few times, chewing her lip at this new knowledge.

"Anyhow, I don't know WHAT I'm going to do." Heartwing mumbled.

A knock came on the door, and the White Queen stepped inside. "Mister Dragon, sir? Uh...we need you to come with us. Apparently Mr. Junior thinks you could help with a real mess that happened in Indonesia." She then pursed her lips slightly, as if hesitant to ask a question, before finally getting it out. "Who were you talking to?"

Heartwing gestured over at the desk. "Ember was just-"

Nobody was there. The entire room was empty.

The White Queen scratched her head as Heartwing gaped stupidly at the desk, blinking his black eyes a few times. "Heartwing, Ember was outside at the front gate with me when Mr. Hayden-Muir's jet came. You've been alone in here the whole time."

Heartwing stuttered as The White Queen left the room, holding his arms out at the desk. "...but...I was just...what in...?"

A faint laugh echoed in Heartwing's head as he shivered involuntarily, that familiar afterimage appearing briefly out of the corner of his eye.


	9. En Passant

**Author's Note:**

**Remember. Don't be afraid to leave a review or a balanced critique. I'll never get better at this stuff if I don't know what I need to improve on. Or, if there's something you enjoyed, please, by all means! Tell me so I can write more of it! :)**

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"Revenge. The most __**worthless**__ of all causes." King Arthur_

9  
EN PASSANT

Steven's room in the ironically-self-named medical wing in the new colony at Sydney, Australia was sparse, the furniture neatly arranged, a small coffee table absent of any magazines or newspapers. The television in the corner was off, dark and silent. The only noise came Steven, who sat in his bed, each arm a host of wires with a breathing tube coiled from his nose.

As the door opened, allowing in the noise from the corridor, she walked in, the former Monarch, adjusting her tiara as she strapped on a set of gloves and sighed, shaking her head back and forth as she closed the door behind her.

"You know, I just **despise** that smell," she told Steven, sighing. "Death."

Steven didn't say anything. He was frightened out of his mind but was not going to give this thing the satisfaction of seeing his fear, and so he stayed silent as she turned her attention to the former Prime Minister of Australia, clicking her tongue. "It's pretty dark in here. Do you mind if I let some light in?"

Not so much as a word.

"I'll take that as a 'yes,' then!" she said with a smile breaking out across her face, walking around the bed and to the wall, where she raised the blinds. With that, sparkling white light poured in, silhouetting her. "How's that? You just can't beat good old natural sunlight! **_ Mister Blue Sky, please tell us why..._**" She turned away from the window, continuing to sing. "**_You had to hide away for soooo long!_**"

She went back to the bed, sitting on the side. "I just adore the classics. Earth culture's _fascinating_ to me. So many intriguing things to absorb into our own culture."

"..."

"...look, I know you can hear me, Mr. Baldwin," Tak said quietly. "You must think I'm mocking you—or maybe you think I've just been asked to change your bandages on your legs or fix your IV because all the rest of my kind with nursing skills were, oh..." her tone turned furious, baleful. "**KILLED WHEN YOU LAUNCHED RIFLE FIRE ON OUR UNARMED ASSEMBLY**."

Steven said nothing. Tak then giggled slightly, twirling a claw in the air. "I'll actually have you know that I've practiced. I've been there in the thick of it. Before I was Monarch, I actually was a nurse. There were some really good times, I'll admit. Our technology was so advanced...it wasn't a matter of just giving bad news and wishing some poor soul the best in dealing with it. But I admit...some times were bad. Really bad."

She tilted her head to the side, sighing slightly. "Sometimes you could barely stand up at the end of a shift. You'd blast loud music, gulp down an energy drink, but it would never help. There was always this… weariness there. You could never get away from it. I imagine you probably felt it too, I heard about how your son died. I imagine you blamed yourself. As you should."

She shook her head back and forth. "I mean, taking him to that expo at such a young age...you were just asking for him to be shot. You never once bothered to question whether it was smart putting an automatic weapon in your 9-year-old's hands? I know what it's like to lose a child, I do." She added, patting his hand. "But I had a disease to blame. Not myself. I can't imagine how it must feel at the end of the day knowing that it really was your own fault your son died..."

Tak then began to laugh in a soft, dangerous tone, ignoring Steven's hateful gaze. "You're probably asking yourself why I'm spilling my guts to you, and, well—the reason is that you won't be alive much longer, anyway. It's either my husband does it the way he's eventually going to do it to your wife—or me." She flashed the Australian a smile, revealing a syringe as she stood by the IV, Steven's eyes going wide as she plunged it in smoothly and injected the contents.

"Believe me though, there's no need to be scared," the refugee from another world said. "It should be as simple as falling asleep. And, please, I hope there are no ill feelings. I'm not doing this out of cruelty, but mercy. It's a kinder fate than what my husband plans." She patted his hand, her smile sweet and tender. "May God absolve you of your sins."

Steven began to gasp. Why couldn't he move? Paralytic...something paralytic in what she'd pumped in...

"Shhhhh. Shhhhhh." Tak cooed, putting a claw to her lips to hush him. "Quiet now. Your son will be waiting for you, Steven." She insisted, patting his hand again.

Darkness covered Steven's sight...and he knew no more.

Elsewhere, the Caterpillar had pinned Mrs. Irwin to the wall, his long robe falling off of him as she beheld him in his almost full horror. "You're strong, Terri. I admire that. But if you keep struggling, you shall definitely **anger** me, and you do **not** want that." The Caterpillar insisted.

Then he saw she was...crying. Instantly his once-furious face became confused, puzzled, his mouth opening slightly as he struggled to find the right words. All that came out was a simple statement: "You're crying."

"...I don't like being USED." Terri murmured as he held her to his chest, cradling her as he rested his forehead upon her own, sighing slightly as he gave her a deep, long look.

"I understand." He told her gently. "And I do sympathize. But you attacked my people. Your life is mine by right, and I could easily kill you. Don't be troublesome." He insisted, his voice firm but no longer filled with anger as he caressed her cheek.

She looked away, gritting her teeth, clenching the last tears out of her eyes as they trickled down her cheek.

"_Terri._" The Caterpillar said in a soothing tone. "I do NOT enjoy this. Obey me, and you shall not be harmed." He told her, caressing her body as he began the process, drawing her in for a deep, long and loving kiss...

...

...

...

... "I...am not...insane." Heartwing insisted to himself as he sat in his room in the White Queen's estate, holding onto his head, eyes burning a hole through the back of his eyelids the gift the White Queen had ordered him to make on a nearby desk. "Insanity doesn't "run in my family". I've never shown any signs of it before. I am NOT insane!"

_"Talking to people who aren't there is a pretty good __**sign**__ of insanity."_ The white thing that had a sunken-in face said calmly, it's small form resting on the foot of his bed, it's wings folded tightly to it's side.

"Somebody's tryin' to TRICK me. Make me THINK I'm insane!" Heartwing grumbled, whacking the side of his head.

"Paranoia is ANOTHER sign of insanity."

"BLAH-BLAH-BLAH, I can't hear you, BLAH-BLAH-BLAH, you're not really there! You're not really there at all!" Heartwing yelled.

_"Of course not. DELUSIONS. See where I'm going with this?"_

**"Have a nice day."** Heartwing grumbled coldly, getting up and heading for the door.

_"You know, you really should kill Junior."_ The thing that had a sunken-in face mused with a ghost of a smile flickering across it's lack of face.

"Shut up."

_"He could turn out to be just like his half-brother, after all, and try to kill your beloved cousin Stitch...and your sweet Lilo._ It went on, breaking into pitiless laughter. _"OOPS! There's that paranoia again!"_

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Heartwing screamed at the thing.

_"KILL HIM!"_

"**YOU'RE! NOT! THERE!**" Heartwing yelled, turning to the front of his bed, grabbing ahold of the pillow and tossing it through the air at the thing...

But it was gone. And he was alone with shadows and darkness.

...

...

...

... "He's here!" She yelled happily, bounding down the hallways, a headache afflicted-Heartwing following after as the Ember led her to the front door, checking her pocket watch as she did so. Heartwing had never seen anybody so happy before, save for himself in the mirror. What was the White Queen so overjoyed about? Who was arriving at the front gates?

The answer became clear as the door was opened and they walked past the long row of flowers with the rest of the White Queen's guests. Josef eagerly shook the man's hand as he stepped aside to let the White Queen embrace her husband tightly, kissing him all over his face as the Mad Hatter chuckled, taking a sip from his cup, some smoke rising into the air.

"This is her husband?" Heartwing asked, holding a finger to his lip, blinking slowly.

"Yep. Meet the White King, Legato." The Mad Hatter told him, gesturing with his hand at the regal being before them all.

The White King was dressed in very "practical" clothing. He too wore shades of white and silver as his wife did, including a fine halo-type crown atop his head, with brightly lit silver eyes. His face had a pale beauty to it, refined but kindly and tender, and with a large smile to boot. He wore a long jacket that seemed almost too big for his sleeves, with pants to match, and faintly glittering near-white tattoos etched up and down the legs, a white shirt underneath the jacket and a series of rings upon his hands as he held his wife close and kissed her tenderly. His hair, also white, fell down in thick bangs atop his forehead, the rest kept more under control and falling down more neatly in the back.

Junior, however, was more intrigued by the person that was standing behind the king. A black robe with a silver belt and two tassels hanging low, white hair that crested up slightly in almost scythe-like locks to drape over the forehead, and eyes like a rainbow that had been compressed tightly into a ball by God himself, and then promptly stuffed into the sockets of the human that stood calmly some distance behind the king. He was radiating a sense of deep regret and remorse in contrast to the jubilation of the king.

"I brought a PRESENT." The king said in his lively voice, beaming as he gestured at the white-haired man. "Manifest Destiny gave himself up to me whilst I was out on the streets doing the good work. He's agreed to help me give out the cure en-masse. By the end of the week...we'll have cured everyone in our kingdom!" Legato spoke cheerily. "All in exchange for clemency."

"Justice must be tempered with mercy, correct?" Manifest Destiny asked as he calmly held his hands behind his back. He flashed Junior a knowing, sad smile. "Your wife's gone to visit a friend of mine, don't worry, she'll come visit you as soon as she's done. Hopefully when she finds him, he'll not have reverted b-"

"Come, come." Legato insisted as Kualili moved Manifest Destiny inside, Daveigh and Ashton agreeing to join them in delivering him to a "humane" dungeon as Ember followed after them. "It's just so good to be back home. There's only so much countryside you can see before you get tired, you know?" Legato admitted, sighing as he gave his wife another kiss upon the cheek.

"I've got a little something for you." The White Queen admitted. "Mr. Draggy here said he can make things out of crystallized light energy, and I know you like white crystals, so..."

She turned to Heartwing, who held up his white-tipped hands as he presented the gift. There it was...a beautifully fine-crafted little star on a pedestal, with the words "Eternal Love" written at the bottom of the pedestal in a silvery glimmer.

"It's...it's beautiful." Legato whispered as he held it in his hands, then clasping his wife's as well. "I'll treasure it always, Mr...uh..."

"Heartwing." Heartwing said, putting one hand to his chest. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. White King sir!"

"I've never met a civilized dragon before. I thought they'd all died out decades ago." The White King admitted as they headed inside the mansion-esque estate, the well-sculpted man rubbing his chin.

"Died from what?"

"Clogged arteries."

"Clogged arteries?"

"Dragons like _very deep-fried food_, if you understand what I mean." The White King said, his tone dropping an octave.

"...oh. Right." Heartwing murmured nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

Meanwhile, Manifest Destiny was brought up to a tall, tall tower. A clock tower, in fact, which doubled as a holding cell if necessary. Pulling open a set of double doors, Kualili forced Manifest Destiny up a long series of stairs, to the enormous and spacious balcony some distance over a currently-still series of giant clock gears and machinery. Daveigh and Ashton flanking him, Kualili folded his arms as Manifest sat upon a bed. "Don't bother trying to sing." The white-furred being spoke quietly, dangerously, eyes slightly narrowed as he held aloft a vial with shimmering bluish/golden liquid, pouring it onto the ground.

Strange mist rose up into the air, dissipating a moment later as Kualili went on. "It's an anti-magic charm. Even the Sacred Skill won't be of use to you. And there's only two ways out: one that we'll be guarding heavily, that entrance we just used."

"And the other?" Daveigh wanted to know, looking in Kualili's direction.

He pointed to the far end of the room, to a part of the balcony that went under a stone arch and led outside to a fenced-off area that rather resembled where Juliet had stood in the famous Shakespearean play. "It's hundreds of feet to the ground. We'll be posting some guards out in the courtyard below, but there's nowhere for you to jump off safely too. You try, and even dental records would probably be useless in identifying you." Kualili informed the terrorist, who gave a cynical smile.

"Your compassion's heartwarming."

"You're welcome." Kualili said, turning around and heading back down the stairs, Manifest Destiny lying back on the bed, sighing.

_"And so it begins."_ He thought to himself.

...

...

...

... It had been a day since the king had returned, but Heartwing had continued to be disturbed by that faceless thing. The mocking taunts haunted his dreams, and he continued to awake with it's laughter echoing in his head.

"Your husband's really nice." Heartwing admitted as he and the White Queen headed through the back courtyard, through rows and rows of flowers past an enormous ivory fountain. "But...there's something I'd like to talk to you about. I...I saw something."

"Saw what?" The White Queen wished to know, momentarily smiling and waving up at Manifest Destiny as he stood upon the balcony.

One captain of the guard in was on his way to the courtyard to stand guard with his troops when he noticed a bag left zipped up in the middle of his room.

"Odd." He mumbled, frowning as he went to pick it up, zipping it open to check its' contents.

A severed head looked up at him, smiling slightly, pale and white with bloated skin.

"How's it goin'?"

"**YAAAAAAAAAH!**" The captain of the guard ran for the door, not noticing a razor-thin wire that had been stretched across the middle...

"You're certain you saw it?" The White Queen inquired, a surprised expression flickering across her face, clearly disturbed by what Heartwing had described to her.

"I'm SURE. Somebody's trying to make me think I'm insane." Heartwing murmured, rubbing his hands together as he shook his head back and forth.

"Well, I doubt there's anything TOO dangerous going on. The Mad Hatter's probably playing a trick." She insisted, waving a hand in the air. "It's not like anybody was seriously-"

It was then that the running legs of the captain of the guard raced by, shutting her up as the thing tripped over the fountain and fell torso-first inside, the legs uselessly pinwheeling overhead.

"...well!" The White Queen murmured, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she promptly fell on her back, arms and legs sprayed out.

"Oh no, don't-don't FAINT ON ME!" Heartwing yelled, hands flying to his head. "SOMEONE CALL A DOCTOR! GET A HEALER-I...I AM a healer!" He gasped.

...

...

...

... "Today, we gather for...for several reasons." The White Queen said quietly as the Majestic Council stood together in her courtyard by a pearly-white coffin. Manifest Destiny stood on the balcony above, a look of quiet contemplation on his face as the queen continued. "Though my husband returned yesterday with Manifest Destiny, and though I planned to call you all here to celebrate the beginning of a mass-curing of my kingdom's inhabitants, this celebration has been marred by...by the death of one of my captains of the guard, Bob, who was..." She hesitated. "...bisected. Yes, that's the term."

"...I feel like I should say something smart." A dark-faced young man whispered, holding one hand over his mouth as he stood by Coraline as she hid her arm deep within the long black jacket she had on.

"I don't think there's anything we COULD say, Oskar." Coraline spoke quietly to her cousin as her mother stood there, grim-faced, hand digging into General Spainco's arm.

The Red Queen could see faint echoes of the past in that coffin. She remembered the White Queen arriving for the mass funeral she'd held for her own guards when a furious, vengeful Dr. Rolar had come calling, pitilessly slaughtering her men before her and Coraline's eyes. She'd remembered the White Queen gently holding her hand, tears brimming in her eyes, true sympathy in her eyes as she had laid Charlie in the ground and...Charlie...

Charles...

_"I'm so sorry."_

And now she would be taking the White Queen's hand.

"Will this be repeated? Will others die?" She murmured as she approached the White Queen, gently taking her hand and quietly offering her sympathies.

"What kind of sick mind puts up razor wire across a doorway hoping that somebody will run right through it?" Junior mumbled, a haze of green coming across his face as Kualili carried the coffin over to where it would be buried: a part of the courtyard where a flower patch in the shape of a cross would be planted.

"I would say HIM." Legato murmured, looking up at Manifest Destiny. "But he hasn't left that tower. He's been quiet. Too quiet."

Ember shook her head. "My husband and I were standing guard the whole time. He didn't do anything since he's been imprisoned. He didn't even HUM." She added, twirling her pocketwatch, thinking to herself. "...what could have made Bob run through the doorway so fast? We never found anything that would have frightened him inside his room..."

"I'll be glad to start allowing people into the castle for the cure." The Mad Hatter spoke up, adjusting his hat as he, Ember, Junior, Daveigh and Heartwing walked over to the front gates where people were assembled, King casting a spell over the coffin as dirt began to fill in the hole, flowers rising up from the ground. "I'm looking forward to a good news week."

Junior looked over at Manifest Destiny, trying to get a read off of him, staring deeply at the silent, unmoving white-haired human. There was...a void. A sorrowful emptiness. It was not guilt, no. It was more like he was a solid block of ice, shut off from the world...depression. Yes, it was depression. As if...as if he had known about Bob's death, had seen it coming...

And now he, the "Cassandra", was loathe to be proud of what he'd predicted.

"Perhaps we need to have a talk with him." Junior told Ember. "Tonight."

THE WHITE QUEEN

The dream...that damn dream. So freakish...so confusing...yet a nightmare all the same.

**_Venite in facinum, O spiritus tenebrarum..._**

She walked through a dark fog that opened wide around her, hot, heavy and sticky, threatening to swallow her whole. Over and over again she ehard the tolling of a great bell...the clock tower tolling again and again as her heartbeat grew loud in her ears, yes, very loud indeed, but not enough to drown out the cries of her heart...

**_Magne Asterothe, te iubeo! Implete hunc lapidem, implete eum viribus...sulfuratis vestris..._**

Something rushing towards her. Something that wanted her. And wanted her NOW.

Turning...turning...

Too slow...

**_Consumite! Consumite! Consumite! Istas vires adsumem._**

"AAAAAAAA!"

**_Iubeo te!_**

She awoke in Legato's arms as he held her close, gently brushing the sweat from her brow as they lay in bed. "Merrily, what's wrong?"

"I...it was...it was a nightmare." She murmured, holding her husband tightly. "It was **horrible.**"

"Ohhh, ohhh, baby." Legato whispered, kissing her on the cheek. "You don't ever need to be afraid. I'll always be here to protect you, Merrily." He cooed as the two drew in tighter, and his warmth comforted her once again.

...

...

...

...Manifest looked up, hands clasped together as he sat upon his bed in his new "home" at the sight of Ember and her father. "Hello." He said warmly, in a cheery conversational tone. "Come to wish me sweet dreams? I don't sleep, I should let you know that."

"We'd like to ask you some questions." Junior said.

"You can try and "read" my emotions all you want, Empath." Manifest said, making Junior's eyes widen. "When I **want** to, I can close myself off and I don't mind putting on a show for the crowds. But...I believe in being honest with friends, so whatever you want to ask me...I'll answer."

The white-haired terrorist spoke up, spreading one arm out. "Go on. What would you like to know?"

"How did you get captured? For years you kept evading the Majestic Council. You rubbed their **faces** in their lack of ability to keep hold of you. Did you let yourself be captured?"

"Yes." Manifest said calmly. "Legato's been looking for me for years. YEARS. Now he finally has me...all his work has paid off. Him capturing me is**personal**. He stopped doing it for the sake of a cure a long time ago, it's really more about getting even with me for always rubbing my face in his ineptitude. But I...well..." The terrorist sighed wistfully, shaking his head back and forth. "I let myself be captured because I got tired of it. The body count kept rising! I-I never meant...to get anyone hurt." Manifest trailed off for a moment, rubbing his wrists nervously, biting into his lower lip. "But my powers are...problematic. I'm a master of two skills, one you already know of, I assume."

"And the other?" Ember demanded to know.

"**Redirection.**" Manifest said, waving a finger back and forth in the air. "Be it bullets, bombs or blasts of energy. Words, ideals, forces beyond your imagination, I can redirect anything. No...I can redirect EVERYTHING. That's my greatest pride, and also...my greatest curse." He walked over to the archway balcony, putting his hands on the railing and lowering his head. "The first time I realized I had the power was when I was trying to stop a robbery. Some idiots were taking advantage of some convenience store when the owner was turning due to the "Infection". I redirected the bullets with a sweep of my hand."

Suddenly waves of deep, deep sorrow were coming of Manifest as his voice began to choke up. "It...it hit a little girl in...she'd been buying Kool-aid and...and had been hiding behind the aisles, I-I..."

Now his voice was naught but a harsh whisper. "_I should have checked for that._"

"...I'm...I'm so sorry." Junior murmured as Manifest buried his face in his hands, and now they heard him openly crying. Suddenly Junior was no longer looking at a frightening figure, but a frightened figure, one sad, scared child that seemed lost, without a family, without a friend in a strange, upside-down world.

"People kept dying because of situations like that. I'd use my power, not thinking about what would happen to the things I was redirecting. But I'm worried that me giving myself up...might cause more harm than good. I'm worried over what will happen now that they don't need to pretend to be noble anymore, searching for a cure for their people..."

"What? PRETEND?"

"...try and understand this." Manifest turned around, sighing deeply before his tone became like the tolling of a great church bell. "All of them are monsters. Some are just good at hiding it. And others...**just haven't gotten the memo.**"

And with that, he laid back down on his bed, motioning for them to go, leaving Junior and Ember with nothing but more questions.

...

...

...

..."Tea?" The White Queen asked her husband as he sat down at the breakfast table in the kitchen, the others washing their dishes.

"Oh yes. And in a BIG mug." Legato asked. "Cuz somebody kept me up last night. Not that I minded TOO much." He added with a sneaky smile, blowing his wife a kiss. "And two lumps of sugar, please."

The White Queen smiled and "caught" the kiss, heading over to the sugar bowl and opening it up.

"Don't." Heartwing spoke up, entering the kitchen, covered in a white substance that was dripping all over him as Josef blinked in surprise, the Red Princess looking over in his direction for a moment before turning back to the soaked dragon. "...it's booby-trapped."

The White Queen blinked, carefully turning the sugar tin away from her face as she opened it in the direction of the sink. Sure enough, melted, syrupy once-powdered sugar launched out of the can and splattered like a Pollock painting across the silvery kitchen walls as The White Queen giggled. "Ah, that Hatter. Always playing pranks. He's been doing it ever since we first came here."

"Why do you let him stay here?" Coraline asked. "Not merely the Mad Hatter, but...but HIM." She wanted to know, gesturing at Josef.

"The Hatter helped us BUILD this place, and Josef and I go very far back. I've known him since he was young." The White Queen answered calmly as the Red Queen frowned at her daughter's rudeness. This was one time she wasn't alright with Coraline's prejudice.

"But he's a filthy gypsy."

"He's a friend of the family and great at bridge." The Mad Hatter said, entering the room and shoving a pack of cards into Coraline's hands. "Now SIDDOWN and deal the cards!"

"MOOOOM!" The Red Princess begged, turning to Melanie, who shook her head firmly back and forth.

"No buts. We're guests here and that means you be POLITE to everyone, and no mistreating any gypsies." _At least, if there was ANYBODY watching_, Melanie thought to herself with an inner smile.

"I don't see why-"

It was then that the whiny girl took note of Kualili, who was carving into an apple with a single claw. He turned it around to show his work.

"**Don't fall asleep."**

"...so! Seven card stud is the name of the game! WOO! YEAH! Poker!...ohgodI'minacrazyhouse." The Red Princess whimpered as everyone crowded around the table.

Kualili smiled and tossed the apple into his mouth, chewing vigorously as he heard the ringing of a doorbell and went to answer it. The White Queen had insisted everyone try and work more closely together, that the barriers between the countries now be broken down since Manifest was caught. Fine...he'd be willing to be civil if Coraline could be.

Upon reaching the door, he was greeted by King, who appeared very...disturbed.

"What is it? And where have you been? I missed you at the funer-"

"I still need to search for the Seal. Should Manifest end up trying something, I don't want t to take any chances. I found the next location but I can't GO there because it happens to be home to the Red Queen. Therefore-"

"Oh, very well, come in, come in."

Soon King was explaining the situation to the Red Queen, who eagerly rubbed her chin, an intrigued expression coming to her face. "A part of the seal is actually in my own castle? Well, that IS news indeed. Very well, I shall go with you, Daveigh, Ashton and Junior to my home."

"There's not too many pieces left." King admitted, holding up the collected pieces they had so far. It was almost beginning to look like a genuine talisman. "We should need only a few more parts to this whole."

...

...

...

...how ironic that now as the Red Queen left her home, the White Queen felt sad to see her go. To see her and so many others go. Granted, her husband was remaining, as was Heartwing, the Mad Hatter, Josef, General Spainco, Coraline, Oskar and Kualili, but still...the house was beginning to feel empty again.

Waving goodbye to the carriage as it drew her former guests away, the White Queen escorted Heartwing and General Spainco back to their rooms with her "White Rabbit" and "Cheshire Cat" accompanying her to her personal playroom, setting up a pool game as Frequency began to dust off the top of his pool stick.

To be truthful...the White Queen was nervous of Frequency lately. He'd always seemed slightly...off. And he was able to "ghost" through the walls of her home for some reason he refused to reveal. It would have been easy for him to-

"Are you thinkin' about why the "Red Flunkies" are still here?" Frequency asked her as he lined up the shot that would break the balls and determine whether he would be going for stripes or solids, his yellow eyes gleaming. "I figured it out easily. He's spying for the Red Queen, reporting in on what you're doing. She doesn't want you planning some revolution."

"The only "revolution" I have planned is to install a Dance Dance Revolution pad into this place." The White Queen insisted as Frequency took his shoot, smiling as he sunk two solids into corner pockets. "That and finally getting the cure passed out en-masse. It'll be such a breath of fresh air to see them returned to normal...my people will cease to suffer."

"You know...you could...nah." Ember shook her head. "It's just, well, you ARE going to have Manifest cure other kingdoms, right?"

"Well, if he wants to, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I asked him nicely." The White Queen said, putting a finger to her lip, one eyebrow raised in thought. "Though I HAVE been thinking of asking the Red Queen to...do something first."

"You mean like publically acknowledging her genocide of the Romany people?" Josef asked angrily as he snuck inside, resting his body against the wall, jaw set like stone. "I want to toss her off a bridge, I do."

"Believe me, she'll never do anything like that again after I'm finished." The White Queen promised, putting one hand to her chest before she patted Josef on the shoulder.

_If only you knew._ She thought to herself, a deep, mournful gaze flickering across her face as she turned away and headed back to the pool table. If only he knew...

...

...

...

..."Keep organized, everyone, keep organized." Legato insisted, having taken several showers to rid himself of the smell from the...incident. Throngs and throngs of people, all crammed together and trying to get into an organized line had been brought into the estate of the White Queen, the next batch of people to be cured as Manifest Destiny waited in his "private room" on the other end of the doorway.

One by one, people were let inside the room as Manifest Destiny did his work, Legato watching in satisfaction as the White Queen stood nearby, clapping her hands and rubbing them together, clearly overjoyed at what was happening. The symptoms were fading from people's bodies, their skin returning to normal, a new spring in their step as they were, upon being cured, then escorted by Kualili and other guards to the enormous dining hall for powdered sugar cakes and milk.

"Just think." She told her husband, kissing him on the cheek. "By the end of the week, all of our kingdom could be cured."

"Look at them." Coraline mumbled to Oskar as they watched from down the hall, Coraline gripping the wall tightly, frowning at this, unaware that Heartwing was watching them in secret from a hidden passageway in the walls. He was sure that someone was sneaking in and out of his room and had followed a passageway he'd discovered to the right of his room's door to this area.

He WASN'T insane! He wasn't! Somebody was sneaking around. And, he wagered, there was probably a secret passageway in Bob's room too. He'd check it out after he listened in on the Red Princess's conversation with her friend. He didn't like either of them: they had a smell like crushed-up half-day-old eggs and tuna fish.

"She's the "hero" of the story." The Red Princess mused, shaking her head back and forth as she and Oskar headed down the hallway, Heartwing following them in secret, climbing the ceiling. "And I am the villain. Yes, I won't deny it, Oskar, that I am a villain. No one can deny whom they truly are. I am both the protagonist and the antagonist of the play that is my life. I did not make that decision; fate made it for me. When I was born, it was fate that put me at odds with the world. I was born deformed; one withered arm, a deformed back and unable to continue my own royal line. Yes, I was born Coraline, Princess of Yurp and Princess of Germany, though my impurities earned my other titles. 'Coraline Crookback', my enemies called me, 'hedgehog' and 'spider'. Yet I could have lived with it, as I would have been Empress. Even if I could not earn their respect, I could enforce it with my seat of power. That was until...HE...was born...and I was left with practically nothing."

He? Heartwing's black eyes widened. Coraline had had a brother? But where was he? Unless...

No. No, she wouldn't have. Would she?

"Would you, Oskar, call it fair for my brother to steal my place as heir to the throne, just because he was a son, not a daughter? Don't you agree that character is more important than gender? I am intelligent, level-headed and heavy handed. I am a rare and awesome thing. I am every inch an Empress."

Heartwing blinked at this, trying to take in what she was saying, scarcely able to believe his lack of ears. Was she implying what he thought she was?

"What else could I do? When a woman has been cheated by fate, is it not merely just that she try and rectify the situation so she regains what was stolen from her? If doing so makes her the villain in the process, then she must accept that and **embrace** it, even!" The princess proclaimed, clenching her fist tightly in the air, a red rush running through it and through her face as she swept back and forth in the hallway, pacing furiously as if she was now speaking upon a stage to a crowd of thousands. Heartwing half expected her to fall to one knee and hold a skull aloft.

"My way was clear, Oskar." Coraline said, holding one hand up high. Close enough, Heartwing decided. "I could have supported my brother, the future Emperor, stood in his shadow to help further our empire and toiled to reconcile the nations of the world, but peacemaking was not my taste. The time was ripe for someone to play the villain, and I was determined to be that someone. I would deceive, and double-deal and smile - even as I commit murder."

Heartwing's eyes bugged out in horror.

**No.**

"And therefore to this day, since I cannot prove a lover to entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined still to prove a villain." She finished, her tone dropping to a near whisper as Heartwing watched her and Oskar leave the hall. He carfully climbed down from the walls, gazing after her.

Coraline had most likely murdered her brother. And it was quite likely she was behind what had happened to Bob. She'd killed once before, hadn't she?

He HAD to tell someone. He had to-

_"No one will believe you."_

That horrible, laughing voice again. Heartwing whipped around, trying to find where it was coming from.

_"Go ahead. Tell the White Queen. It all sounds SO logical. Especially after you've admitted to hearing and seeing things that aren't there."_

_"My friends will believe me if I tell them. They know I'm not insane or a liar, therefore I HAVE to be telling the truth."_

_"They could believe you, true. But they're not the ones you have to convince. Do you really think you'll get lucky and catch Coraline in the ACT?"_

Heartwing slammed his fist into his open palm, a grin stretching across his features. "Actually...that's not that bad an idea, you big bully. Not a bad idea at ALL!"


	10. The Calm

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"Caution is crucial if you're trying to frighten burglars in Gotham. It might be advisiable if you're a Titan or a kid in Young Justice, I wouldn't know! What I DO know is that for the JLA, the team that holds the world in its' hands about twice a month...__**unconditional trust in one another**__ makes a difference between LIFE AND DEATH!" Superman_

9  
THE CALM

He sat alone. He, the God of this world. He, the Messiah. He, their King.

And he held his head in his hands, trying to ignore the constant that continued to play through his mind. He tried. But he couldn't ignore it.

_**What if I lead the way?  
What if I make mistakes? (Will-you-be-there?)  
What if I change the world?  
What if I take the blame? (Will-you-be-there?)**_

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" Manifest screamed, falling to his knees and clutching his head as the music continued to grow louder and louder in his head. "I CAN'T GET IT OUT! THEY WON'T LET ME! JUST STOP! _PLEAAAAASE!_"

_**I remember going back...  
To the place we used to lay...  
But I keep losing track!  
And now the days, they all turn black!  
And our dreams all start to fade...  
But there's no turning back...**_

"Cuz...cuz the world keeps tu-turning...and my heart...my HEART..."

He staggered back up, arms flailing around. "Stop, can't...can't get it out, I can't..."

Manifest collided hard with the balcony rail and almost flipped clean off, falling to his death in the dark night as the stars calmly twinkled overhead, his panicked gasps being the only sound echoing across the courtyard as he finally regained his composure.

"...I didn't ask for this. Why did I have to be the only one with this power?...are those others the only people I can really trust for this?" He mumbled.

He finally sighed and headed back to his bed, lying across it in a large sprawl, looking up at the ceiling as he blinked his rainbow eyes.

"...a guitar. Dammit, I need a guitar. I'll ask if they'll give me one."

THE MAD HATTER

Pranks.

I LOVE 'em.

I've been prankin' these guys since the moment I came here. And lemme tell you, I am the King. Da KING of this sort of thing. But I've had help. Oh yes. My dear associate Frequency was kind enough to help me with several of these pranks.

Why don't I show you some of my finest moments? Heh. This one I'm really proud of. Frequency? If you could wheel out the projector?

"Just a moment...here."

CLICK!

Ahh, here we go. Coraline, our dear Red Princess. I did this last night. Since Manifest Destiny's caught, the countries have agreed to a cease fire and, in the spirit of comradery, they've all shacked up here in the White Queen's estate on a sort of "vacation". I think it's good...brings us all together. Helps us get to really know each other outside of stopping terrorist plots and dictating war laws. Plus, it means I get to prank new people.

Observe. See, there's Coraline, asking me to "help her open her closet because she can't quite get it open". Ooh, she is a CLEVER one. But you'll note that I keep myself fairly close to her...I reach for the knob...

Then, just as I open the door I shove HER in, and THA-BOOOM! All those apples she had made ready to fall right on me come a-crashin' down on her.

"Ha-ha-haaaa!"

Nice try, Coraline. But you'll need more than that to beat me.

"Oh, this? This one was MY idea. There's Kualili, going to take a shower. Unknowing that we've SECRETLY replaced the normally fine shampoo here...with NAIR."

Let's see if he can tell the difference!

"...ooooooh. **NAAAAASTY.**"

He can't. ^_^

"He's gonna KILL us when he finds out we did this."

IF he finds out.

"If is good. But you know, I feel so bad about what we've done. I think we should make up for it by cooking them some brownies. With a very **special** ingredient."

"...ohhhh. Yes, _YES._ You see, folks...Frequency's got that diabolical track in him. That devious kind of mind. Oh yes, this is the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship."

...

...

...

... "Listen, we felt just AWFUL about the way we've been tormenting all of you." The Mad Hatter said to Heartwing, the White King and Queen, Josef, General Spainco, Coraline, Oskar and Kualili.

"You SHOULD be." Josef said, folding his arms as he mumbled under his breath something about "What kind of sick mind booby-traps the toilet like that" as Oskar checked his coat again to make sure it was his and not the one that had held the mousetraps in them.

"Yeah, you got us good. We...laughed and **laughed.**" Coraline mumbled hatefully.

"Yeah, you made us into a monkey's uncle!" Heartwing said. "And I'm STILL scrubbing flour out of my-"

"Aw, no fighting among brothers, right?" Frequency said cheerily. "And to show we're sorry...we made you brownies." Frequency said cheerily, gesturing at the Mad Hatter as the white-haired harlequin-esque man held up a plate filled with steamy, delicious fudge brownies. "And the secret ingredient is love."

"Ooh, that makes them EXTRA special!" Heartwing said, popping one into his mouth as the others eagerly joined in.

"I had a brother once. He liked to paint things. Bring in strays and find them homes. Kept telling me I shouldn't feed my pet rabbits so much that they looked like giant slippers." Coraline commented quietly.

This made the White Queen, who positively ADORED cute little bunnies, shudder in disgust.

"Actually the secret ingredient is something...SPECIAL, if you get my drift." Frequency mused, chuckling as he held one paw to his chin, blowing an imaginary smoke ring in the air as the others began chewing their brownies.

"Never had this kind of brownie before. But I'm willing to try almost any dish at least once." The White King decided, shrugging slightly. "...just once. That's it. JUST once."

"Mmm. They're GOOD." The White Queen mused as she savored the taste of the brownies. They were practically melting in her mouth. It was like somebody had taken the essence of yumminess and stuffed it firmly into this little thing she was chewing on now. Soft...not too sweet, not too chewy...just right, yes, just right. And such a fine aroma to the brownies to boot!

"Mmm. Mmmm." Josef murmured as he sat near Coraline. "Whaddya think? These are good, huh?"

"You look familiar." Coraline admitted, tilting her head to the side. "...were you ever in theater camp? Doesn't he look like Greg from theater camp?" She asked Oskar.

"No, I've been in several Romany performance groups of "Oklahoma", but not theater camp." Josef told her, shaking his head back and forth.

"You SURE they're special?" Oskar asked Frequency.

"The BEST kind of special." The blue-furred being said, winking.

Half an hour passed. Everyone sat around, Heartwing nervously rubbing his arm.

"...I'm...nervous...about this." He mumbled. "...I mean, I've heard a LOOOOOTTA horror stories about people who got high. I hate this anticipation!"

"Yeah, I kinda expected the clock to start walking off the wall by now." Josef admitted.

"Something is wrong. I don't feel "special"." Legato commented, scratching the back of his neck.

"Me neither." The White Queen mused.

"Are you sure they were "special" brownies?" Coraline inquired. "I've had special brownies before, even compared with hookah..."

"You've had Hookah?" Josef asked.

"The Caterpillar is VERY generous. Point is, most "special brownies" will usually have gone to work by now."

"Oh trust us. They were **special.**" The Mad Hatter said, steepling his fingers, raising an eyebrow high.

"In fact, I think we still have some of the secret ingredient still left." Frequency mused, pulling out something from his pocket. "**Chocolate Super-Ex-Lax!**"

"OH...MY...**GOD.**" Coraline screamed, her mouth falling open.

"You DIDN'T!" Heartwing screeched.

"We DID." Frequency laughed.

"Now maybe you'll get who's REALLY in charge of things here in this place." The Mad Hatter chuckled out as he held his hands to his mouth.

"Well nice try, because I don't feel a THING right no-OOOOH-HOO-HOOO!" Legato screeched, flying up from his seat.

"EEEEEH." Coraline squeaked.

"GAAAAH..." Heartwing moaned.

"UUUUAAAAAHHHH!" Oskar howled.

Everyone ran for the door, Frequency grinning from ear to ear as the Mad Hatter laughed so hard he fell completely out of his chair. "I can die happy now." Frequency mused out loud. "Nothing like giving someone explosive diarrhea to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling."

"When-when do you think they'll...they'll realize there's not enough toilets or that we got rid of all the toilet paper?" The Mad Hatter managed to get out in between laughs.

_"__**OH YOU SON OF A!**__"_

"Right about now."

...

...

...

... "This is an unusual way for stress relief." Heartwing admitted as he looked upon Legato who had put on a toga-like outfit and was somehow levitating a large hunk of crystallized light over to his body so he could do to IT what he'd done to the other hunks within the enormous art gallery within his castle: bash it over and over, pumping into it like it was a punching bag until it resembled something that resembled art as he screamed furiously.

The galleria of the White King and Queen was covered all over with hundreds of blotches of paint. It was the only place in the entire castle that seemed to have been deliberately "let go". There were benches slightly overturned in artistic fury, tables chipped and blotted with remains of art sculptures and paint, and, of course, many an easel that had the remains of semi-coherent art lingering upon canvases stacked in a corner, some flaw evidently "ruining" the picture and thus dooming it to gather dust.

But the sculptures...these sculptures made of the crystallized light energy that Legato had ordered Heartwing to generate, these were always perfect in shape and smoothness. Some were beautiful images of entwined lovers, others were tiny stars and planets, some were families sitting together, happily enjoying meals.

One in particular caught Heartwing's eye. A father sitting with a son and daughter, telling them a joke of some kind. The look of laughter on their faces was so convincing...it was like they were an inch away from being real. What kind of joke was it though? Lightbulb? Man walks into a bar?

No, no, these kids were too young for that. Probably something like-

"What do you think?" Legato gasped out, wiping his brow as Heartwing turned from the father/son/daughter sculpture to this new piece, a bright and beautiful statue of the White Queen clutching what appeared to be-

"Is that the little star I made?" Heartwing asked.

"There's a reason she asked you to make that kind of sculpture." Legato told the draconic experiment. "I gave a present just like that to her. I had my ring hidden in it. She broke it open to find the treasure inside, but I always wanted to make another sculpture just like that. Unfortunately not too many people can crystallize light energy..." He admitted, shrugging slightly.

"Not too many people have been willing to...accept this position." The White Queen said as she held her rapier up and then placed it upon Oskar's shoulders, first the left one, then the right, then his head. "But I am now pronouncing you to be the new Captain of the Guard, Oskar."

Oskar stood before the White Queen's throne, proudly beaming as Coraline rolled her eyes, covering her face with one hand as Oskar was immediately given a rapier of his own, and the White Queen led him down the hall to the armory where he would be given his own suit of armor. "I can't believe he's so desperate to earn money."

"It is quite the gig." Kualili said calmly. "And it means I'll get to be his boss." He added, smiling to himself as he patted Coraline upon the head in a slightly condescending tone. "I know how you feel little girl, don't be sad, you'll have plenty of toys to play with at the upcoming charity ball in a few days. Until then, how about I get you a snack? I know you get cranky if you don't get your snack."

"OOH, yooooou..." Coraline growled, shaking her finger in Kualili's face as he sniggered and walked off, his laughter ringing in her ears. "Just you wait." She muttered, heading down the hall and rubbing her hands together. "When you least expect it, Manifest will belong to the Red Kingdom!"

Meanwhile, the Caterpillar was checking his mail, bringing it in to the kitchen at his lovely Tokyo estate, chatting with Green as she and Princess sat at the kitchen table with his ex-wife. "Bills...bills...bills...bills...a copy of "A&D's A-Z"..."

"Oh, that's for me." Tak insisted, snatching it out of his hands and looking through a kind of "People" imitation, making Green blink in surprise at the devoted intent she had to reading this magazine.

"More bills." The Caterpillar mumbled, shaking his head back and forth. "Oh, wait. This is new." He said, holding up a white, shimmering invitation card. "It is from Legato and Merrily. They're hosting a charity ball to raise money for those who have been affected by the Infection. Families of the infected lost people who brought home the bacon, they need support, help getting back on their feet."

"Of course you'll go, right?" Green asked calmly.

"Absolutely." The Capterillar insisted. "But I must ask, what have you three been talking about in here?" He wanted to know.

"Shoe shopping." All of the girls said at once, the Caterpillar sighing as he left the room, Tak turning to the girls.

"You were very good to call us." Princess said. "Green's happy to assist. You're sure none of the others were able to contend with this thing that keeps appearing?"

"THINGS." Tak mumbled. "I haven't alerted the Caterpillar to what's...going on. I don't want him worrying just yet, not if you two can take care of this secretly. I want it done as discreetly as possible." She murmured, holding her gloved hands low to the table. "None of the others who saw it have told my ex-husband, under my orders, but I don't know how long they can keep silent about...well...the things they saw."

"We'll head to Australia and deal with this." Princess said calmly. "He'll never know anything's wrong."

The two of them left the kitchen, heading upstairs to their guest rooms to pack their bags as Tak steepled her claws together for a moment, taking in quiet, calm breaths before chuckling slightly, getting up from her seat and heading outside to her husband as he and she stood on the balcony, overlooking the city of Tokyo as it shimmered in the distance under the morning sun.

"I do hope..." She mused. "They don't actually perish."

"None of the others did. They'll simply returned drained...and thus, pacifiable." The Caterpillar intoned calmly, holding one clawed hand up towards the sun. "The two share the same sort of "spirit" as young Daveigh and Ashton, as little Junior and Heartwing, as B and Manifest. The time has come..."

He clenched his fist and grinned, his smile stretching across his face like a long and sharp zipper, chuckling darkly. "I will lead my people back to the way of our true destiny. We shall **inherit** the Earth...and master it in merciful dominion. And we shall lead the conquest...with our perfect mates at our side."

"A pyrokinetic and an omnipotent being, with minds easily molded." Tak whispered, a type of giddy, kid-at-Christmas joy rising in her as her ex-husband smiled and nodded in agreement. "And they'll only be the first. Speaking of Australia though, I must ask..."

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" The Caterpillar said, faint amusement rising in his voice as he whistled, Terri Irwin coming to the balcony as he held her head in one hand, lifting her chin up with his palm.

...

...

...

...it was 10 in the morning, with the White Queen letting more people in to the castle, cheerily waving at them as they were escorted by her new and WELL-PAID captain of the guard who had yet to be horribly murdered and have his upper body removed from the rest of him. Oskar was leading the people along with Kualili to Manifest's room when the White King approached his queen, clearly angry about something.

"What're you doing?" He asked, frowning as he folded his arms. "Only one gate's open? Let's get the rest opened up and bring even more of our citizens in, I want to see them all cured." He insisted.

"I KNOW you want to be vindicated, sweetie, but we can't have TOO many people crowding in here. Besides, we need to save the most heavily infected for last, and that will require a lot of careful planning and selective force-"

"What I really want to know is if you got the paint remover for the art room."

"Paint remover? You've never asked me about paint remover, I would have remembered it." She said, scratching her head.

"This is SO like you." Legato grumbled out, rubbing his forehead temples as irritation seeped into his voice. "I bust my ass all the time and you don't do anything but sit on your ass!" He threw his hands up, stomping off. "Next time you want something, don't come a-crawling to me!"

"...you...alright, miss?" Oskar asked the White Queen. He found himself very bothered by this sudden display of fury from the White King, and his employer was practically on the verge of tears from this sudden outburst from Legato. He put one hand on his shoulder, a sympathetic look on his face. "He's probably just stressed out, I mean, there's a lot of work to do..."

"I...I appreciate what you are saying, Oskar." The White Queen said, taking his hand and squeezing it as she smiled warmly at him. She really did, it was so...off...of Legato to say something like this, she had NEVER heard him speak this hatefully, this furiously to her. What was up with him?

Coraline tapped him on the shoulder, approaching the two from the side. "Might I speak with you ALONE?" She asked the Prince of Yurpean Sweden, making him blink in surprise. What was this about? Shrugging apologetically at the White Queen, he followed her off as she grumbled under her breath. "Can't BELIEVE she's makin' me plan the entertainment for this charity ball."

"I thought she ASKED you." Oskar said. "I mean, you take EVERYTHING she says as an attack."

"I don't need this right now!" Coraline snapped, waving her hands in the air. "I need several sets of hands to help set up streamers and a stereo system in the ballroom, like, YESTERDAY!"

"...okay, okay, geez..." Oskar muttered. "No need to **yell.**"

"Could you look into someone's mind?!" Heartwing asked Frequency, yanking on his sleeveless white shirt over and over.

"Woa-woah, what?!"

"I want you to look into Coraline's mind for me and find out about what she did to her brother!"

"Little Vladimir?" Frequency asked, scratching his head and blinking his yellow eyes in clear confusion. "...oh, you think she...yeah, everyone thought she killed him after he "disappeared into the river". I mean, they even TRIED her, but...well..." He hesitated. How to put this gently...

"Let me guess...not enough evidence?" Heartwing wanted to know, sighing and holding his hand over his eyes.

"Yes. They had doubts to her innocence, but also reasonable doubts to her guilt, so...she pretty much got off scot free. As for your "can I read somebody's mind" question...well...yes. Sort of." Frequency shrugged before he held up one paw, tapping at the strange gem in the center of it. "These things I grew in my body help me focus my wave-riding powers. And since the human brain consists thought patterns composed of electromagnetic waves, then I suppose I could, with some LUCK..."

"Hey, you're **always** lucky. You just gotta get her to TOUCH you, right?" Heartwing asked, tilting his head to the side as he took Frequency by the paw and led him to the ballroom. "She's picking out music for the charity ball, this is your chance!"

_**"You! Make! ME! Feel like I'm livin' a...TEEN! AGE! DREAM! The way you turn me on!"**_ Coraline sang out, waving her arms back and forth in the air along with her butt, giddily dancing to Katy Perry as Oskar sighed, adjusting the streamers across the opening archway. Noticing she wasn't apying attention, Frequency grinned and calmly rolled over to her on his balled feet across the smooth floor, tapping her on the head.

"Yoo-hoo." He said.

Coraline whipped around and Frequency smiled, taking her hands and shaking them. "You should be VERY proud, cuz Mixmaster Frequency's gonna pimp...your...party." He said, giving her a "East Side" gesture with his paw before patting her on the head again. "Just leave it all to me.

"OHHH no, I haven't been s—tin' right for THREE DAYS because of your special brown-"

Frequency reached into his pocket and pulled out a large wad of bills, stuffing them into her mouth. She immediately left the room, Oskar following after, just grateful he didn't have to be involved in this anymore as Frequency held his head, mumbling as he tried to focus. "Take...take my...hand, I'm...almost got it..." He murmured. "Almost got it..."

Heartwing held his hand and then-

A bright flash of light. Smells rushing through his nostrils as he almost choked, falling to his knees and trying to get back up as a scene began to play before his amazed eyes.

_Back in her bedroom, an irritated ten-year-old Coraline was sitting up straight on her four-poster bed, holding a doll and brushing its hair with a purple hair brush and hard. The doll's head popped off and she angrily tossed it aside and rested her head in her hand pouting. Suddenly, a happy-looking Vladimir came bursting into her room. He saw her and the five-year-old Crowned Prince ran up to the side of her bed._

_"Hey, big sister, guess what!" Vladimir yelled excitedly, grabbing onto the bed sheets and hopping up and down excitedly._

_Coraline glared at Vladimir out of the corner of her eye, and rolled in annoyance as she turned away. "Ugh. I don't like 'guessing games', Vladimir." she complained tiredly. "Is this about that white-furred thing you sent to the White Queen? Cuz I don't care what happened to it."_

_"No, it's just that...well…see, Momma told me that one day…I'm gonna be Emperor of Yurp!" Vladimir told her, jumping up from beside the bed as if he were a mischievous monster from underneath the bed._

_The young Crowned Prince's ignorance only made the Princess' hidden rage boil. "Goody…goody." Coraline said slowly with sarcasm, biting the corner of her lip that Vladimir could not see._

_Vladimir then ran up to the window looked out over the courtyard. "Dad showed me a map of Yurp and its HUGE, and when I grow up, I'm gonna rule it ALL..." he finished greedily with a chuckle, and with eyes that screamed "money shines". "Hey, do you think this means I'll get a bigger allowance now that I'm recently crowned? There's this easel set I wanna buy..."_

_"Yyyeah. Well…forgive me for not leaping for joy, little brother. Just really tired, you know?" Coraline frowned, slumping down on her side on the bed._

_Vladimir came over and hopped onto the bed and climbed over to his big sister. He rested his head onto hers playfully, though she looked completely indifferent. "Hey, Coraline? When I become Emperor, what will that make you?" the young Crowned Prince asked with curiosity._

_"Duchess of Norway if I'm lucky…" Coraline joked dryly with sarcasm._

_Vladimir chuckled as he got off his sister's head. "You're so weird." Vladimir said with a smile, though completely misunderstanding her hidden meaning._

_"You have NO idea." Coraline put on a false smile to him and sat back up. "So…Dad's been telling you all about being Emperor, right?"_

_"Uh-huh."_

_Coraline rubbed her smooth face and commented, "Everything?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Including….opium parties?"_

_The Prince now looked confused. "Opy-what?"_

_Coraline now "looked" surprised and turned away, "Oops. Oh, nothing, Vladimir. Forget I said anything."_

_"You DID say something." Vladimir persisted, crawling up next to him. "What was it?"_

_"I'm sorry, little brother, but I'm afraid I just can't tell you." Coraline said, crossing her arms._

_He whined. "Aw, Come on!?"_

_Laughing slightly and pulling him close to her, the first-born assured the second, "Vladimir, Vladimir, Vladimir..." She paused. "_

_**Vladimir**..." She paused AGAIN. "**VLADIMIR.** I'm only looking out for my favorite brother." She finished patting Vladimir on the head._

_Not tricked, Vladimir smirked and crossed his own arms. "Yeah, right. I'm your only brother."_

_"That's an even better reason why I have to keep an eye out for you." She assured him condescendingly. "Opium parties are only for the grownups." Then, she faked her surprise by putting her hand to her mouth and gasped, "Oops. There I go again."_

_Now the Prince looked interested. "An opium party?!"_

_"Oh, Dear, I've said too much!" Coraline said in fake dismay. "Well, I guess you'd find out sooner or later." She went on to explain. "Well, you see, little brother, it's something grownups do to have fun. But little kids like you aren't allowed to take part."_

_"Awww."_

_A sly, cunning smirk began to appear on the Princess' face. "But hey, tell ya what? I missed your baptism last week so maybe I can make it up to you. How about tomorrow night in the fourth palace tower…Bruno and I can give you a little…test taste?"_

_Getting excited again, Vladimir asked, "Really? That'd be great!"_

_"There's a good little brother," Coraline smiled as she brushed Vladimir off the bed, who began running towards the door of the room. "Now you go fun and I'll sleep. Oh and Vladimir, one last thing…" Vladimir stopped running as he looked back at his older sister. "Mother and Father wouldn't really approve of this. So why don't we keep this OUR little secret?"_

_"Sure. But…you sure it'll be fun?"_

_"Vladimir…it's to DIE for, trust me."_

_With an eager smile, Vladimir ran off out the door. When her brother was out of sight, Coraline's grin grew and grew until each corner met her ears and she rubbed her hands together._

"...he was **FIVE**?!" Heartwing whispered. "...he honestly loved her, and she...I..."

It was a choking sensation that now cut off his air as he heaved and hacked, holding his throat, trying not to let his horrified sorrow and fury cut off his air. How could anybody do something like that to...how could they...the **MONSTER**! THAT **EVIL**-

A new feeling rose in Heartwing. Something he had only rarely felt before. Pure, unadulterated fury. He kept picturing Vladimir's young face, eyes alit with excitement, and images of a thousand possible ways the child could have died flashing in the back of his mind like he was being covered in scenes from movie reels. He wanted justice for what Coraline had done.

Yet...how to get her? She was being clever...not killing anyone. If he could just get her to admit what she'd done...

...wait.

"Wait." Heartwing scratched his head. "...she just put YOU in charge of the charity ball. Do you think you could...perhaps...allow a PLAY to be put on?"

"Perhaps a little "Shakespeare in the Park" out in the flower fields?" Frequency mused, rubbing his paws together. "Ooh, you're CLEVER. I like the way you think, "World" of the Major Arcana. Well done indeed!"

"Look, I have a LOT of work to do for the White Queen." Oskar insisted to Coraline as Legato angrily stomped by them, muttering under his breath. "What exactly do you NEED me for now?"

"The charity ball is in a few days, and my mother will not come back for several more days. So I figured we need to make some more "friends" while we're here to get onto our side. Manifest asked me to bring a guitar to his quarters, so..." Coraline headed into her room, pulling a trunk from underneath the bed and removing a guitar from it. "What he DOESN'T know is I've linked the guitar to a remote electrocution circuit."

"What?!"

"It's only a few volts, it can't kill him. YET. But hey, it'll get us into his good graces and get him to trust us. So I want you to think up a plan."

"A plan of what?"

"ESCAPE, duh?!" Coraline said, whacking him on the side of the head and rolling her eyes. "I want you to come up with an escape plan for him, one that's sure to get him caught...by ME. You'll deliver it to him and say it's from the White Queen, and then I'LL bravely capture him as soon as he's out of the castle, claiming him as a fugitive and by using my rights as a head of state I'll be able to bring him to our-"

"That's what this is all about, isn't it?" Oskar realized, frowning darkly and folding his arms. "You just want to see the Manifest Destiny get screwed over."

Coraline smirked at this. Yeah, she couldn't help it, it gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing what she was going to do."

"It's not FUNNY! He and the White Queen and her hubby are the ONLY people who could cure our kingdom!"

"I just HATE that f-king bitch, Oskar!"

"Oh yeah? Well I like her a whole lot more than I like YOU."

"Oh REALLY?"

"Yeah! You know what the White Queen got me? **A JOB.** You know what YOU got me? **SYPHILIS!**" Oskar snapped, poking Coraline in the chest.

"Syphilis never got anybody's chest removed from their legs."

"You know what?!" Oskar muttered, waving his hands in the air as suppressed anger and frustration finally brimmed over the mental dam he'd had in his head. "You're jealous of her the same way you were jealous of your brother! And you're jealous because both of them were...are...better than you!"

"What the f—k is THAT supposed to mean?!" Coraline said, stiffening furiously as she struggled to catch her breath, rage of her own rising in her body.

"**BETTER! THAN! YOU!** Lemme think!" Oskar mused, putting a finger to his lip and rolling his eyes. "A nice, sweet-hearted little boy who liked fixing puppy legs and doodling in an easel or the little girl who's idea of a "fun time" was getting her FIVE YEAR OLD LITTLE BROTHER high as a KITE off of opium and then PUSHING HIM **OUT OF A TWELVE-STORY WINDOW.** Yeah, you had SUCH moral fiber. No wonder Vladimir was the favorite."

"You sonofa!" Coraline yelled, arms held up, eyes bugging out as she roared, fury overtaking her.

"KEEP IT DOWN IN HERE!" Legato snarled, making the two freeze still as he glared balefully at them all, seething mad. "Some people...are **TRYING!** To **TAKE A NAP!**"

With that, he slammed the door shut, leaving them alone with confused thoughts and deep doubts as Manifest nervously wrung his hands up in his room, looking up at The Mad Hatter.

"Something is happening to Legato. And it started when YOU came into the castle." The Mad Hatter muttered, folding his arms. He was tired of this, the Mad Hatter thought. If anybody kept secrets, if anyone was gonna jerk chains around, it was going to be HIM, not this white-haired would-be prophet. "Start talking."

"...I **CAN'T.**" Manifest muttered. "...I just _CAN'T._"

"What's happening to Legato and what he could do to Merrily will be on YOUR head!" The Mad Hatter snapped, striking Manifest across the face with a slap as he stormed out. He couldn't BELIEVE the sheer GALL of this stuck up...

"...I want to tell. But it would only make things worse." Manifest mumbled under his breath. "...It would be what **he** would have done."


	11. The Horrors of Orpheus

REVERSAL  
-

_"These are our forests. __**We are not kind.**__" The Vashta Nerada_

10  
THE HORROR OF ORPHEUS

_If you're reading this, __SHAME on you! A girl's diary is PRIVATE!_

_But I guess you wanna know a little about me. I'm Daveigh Evelyn Pelekai. I'm engaged and about three months pregnant now...though it FEELS like more. I'm just a nice, normal, white-bread type girl. I volunteer at the retirement home. I collect bugs!_

_Don't worry, I like butterflies, sparkly stuff._

_PRETTY bugs! I've got a collection of the same kind of red shirt with a white floral pattern back at home, all of them show off my stomach. I like the feeling of the wind against it as I'm running, what can I say?_

_The wind. I LOVE the wind. The way it blows through my hair is wonderful. And I guess that's what I remember first describing...how I ended up here._

_We'd been asked to do a favor for the Caterpillar's wife, the former "Monarch". Several dozen associates and comrades of theirs had been over in Australia and exposed to something. Something very, very BAD. Something that had been apparently terrorizing individuals who'd set up home around Ayer's Rock, aka Uluru. She wanted us to go there, get rid of whatever this "something" was, and hop back as soon as possible, mostly because if the Caterpillar found out about it..._

_Well, he'd take the "hands on" approach. He's kind of an idiot that way. He's got, from what Princess has told me, 89 million Irkens to take care of, all refugees from a civil war that devastated their home. He's their Obi Wan Kenobi. He's their only hope!_

_And that was how we became the town's only hope._

_In retrospect...we should have thought this through. Instead, all I could think of as we rented a nice "Rangler Jeep" to take us there...was that I really, really liked the feel of the wind in my hair as it blew across the Australian Outback._

Daveigh brushed her hair back slightly as it fluttered in the wind, blinking pretty and focused green eyes as Green got the jeep gassed up, Princess at the wheel and looking through a square-shaped portable CD collection of blue and black fake leather. "Hmm. No, no...not that, either." Princess murmured, golden eyes a-glitter.

Daveigh tilted her head to the side slightly as she looked Princess over. "Hey, Princess...can I ask you something?" She wanted to know as Princess finally picked out an orange-colored CD, putting it into the player in the jeep as Green went inside the station to pay for the gas.

"What?" Princess asked in a disinterested tone, annoyed that she had to be kept from playing her favorite CD of all time.

"Your eyes. How come they're gold?" Daveigh wanted to know. "I mean, not that I haven't seen people with gold eyes, I have." She nodded firmly. "I've seen people with purple, people with pink, people with red...well, DEMONS with red..."

"You've met demons, huh?" Princess mused, chuckling with a faint skeptical sneer on her face.

"Seriously." Daveigh insisted, putting one hand on her chest. "But really, he's very nice. His name's Snizzi, he's a dear friend of the family and of Green."

"You yakkin' about the Emperor?" Green inquired as she sauntered back over to the jeep, leaping over the car door and plopping inside the seat. "Yeah, he's a weirdo, but I like him a lot. Not a bad guy for a demon...well, IMP, really."

"An imp gets the title of "Emperor"?" Princess laughed, starting the car up by turning the key. "That's kinda sad. Who died and made HIM king?"

"Everybody else." Green chuckled, making Princess gape slightly. "When people say they "clawed their way up from the top", and talk about "all the people they've stepped on", they usually don't mean it literally, but when you're trying to crawl out of a fiery pit to reach a throne that's a nexus point of power-"

Green sighed, suddenly becoming quiet. She had been doing some thinking and now she realized why the "Emperor" of the Major Arcana had been crying at those therapy sessions, why he kept suddenly bursting into tears during Major Arcana meetings. It had to do with the one they'd all forgotten. With Nick.

He wanted to remember so, so badly. He wanted his beloved back. That's all.

"...Princess, please tell me you've got something cheery to play. I got a weight on my shoulders that Atlas would be jealous of." Green asked Princess as the pink-haired president's painted nail hovered over the "play" button.

"Why, YES!" She said cheerily.

CLICK!

With that, a rocking 80's tune began to drift up from the radio as the outback of Australia came into sight, the baking sun held behind some clouds as the wind ruffled all their hair. The tune felt more in line with Southern California than Australia, but to HELL with it.

It was Katrina and the F—king Waves. They were gonna rock.

**_Gotta a lot to keep movin' on,  
Shake it up!  
Gotta lot to keep groovin' on,  
Shake it up!  
Gotta a lot to keep movin' on,  
Shake it up!  
Gotta lot to keep groovin' on,  
Shake it up!_**

Now all of the young women were lip-synching together to the tune, heads almost pressed together as Katrina's smooth-as-silk voice rose up into the blue skies above, all their worries and fears fading, drowned out by drum beats and guitar riffs.

**_Red wine and whiskey, all the ti-ii-iii-iii-iime!  
We had a lot f money, but we blew it to the line!  
We'd lve to take you out tonight, but we haven't got a dime!  
Red wine and whiskey, all the ti-ii-iii-iii-iime!_**

"Hey, WE'RE riding in style, in a rented car!" Daveigh realized as the song went on, spreading her arms wide to catch more of the wind. "...wait. Green!" She shot her head forward again, looking down at Green's seat. "Green, c'mon, put your seatbelt on, alright?" She asked her gently.

"Always worrying." Green chuckled gently, clacking the seatbelt in place as the three of them resumed singing once again, Ayer's Rock still several hours to go, and plenty more "Katrina" to belt out to.

...

...meanwhile, back at the White Queen's estates, The Mad Hatter was lifting a grand piano into the dance hall they'd be using, grunting slightly, clearly not used to heavy lifting. Luckily, Kualili WAS, and decided to spare the Mad Hatter and Oskar from this embarrassing moment, lifting the piano over his head and bringing it over to the spot in the main hall that it would be occupying for the dance.

"This place is turning out to look very nice." Coraline admitted, surprised at the excellent job that they had all done...that OSKAR had done. Who knew he had a knack for party organization and interior design?

"I didn't know you could...well, I kinda GUESSED, I mean, you seem the TYPE to play piano." Heartwing admitted to the Mad Hatter as he put on a stylish black tuxedo from a nearby closet, taking off his hat and placing a single white rose in the shirt pocket of his tuxedo, a small smile upon his handsome features.

"I used to play lounge piano in Vegas." The Mad Hatter admitted, sitting down at the piano and playing a few notes, his normally self-assured tone become soft and quiet, even introspective. "When I was much younger, you know. I played in a bar called "Alice's". That's where my outfit comes from. Bum off the streets, no name, gets a job playing piano and suddenly, I'm ROCKETING in dough and fame. And then..." He sighed wistfully. "Outta all the lives in the world, she had to walk into mine." He said in a gravelly, faux-noir style.

"The White Queen, then?" Heartwing asked, resting his head upon his hands as he sat down at a nearby table, Legato silently hiding in the closet nearby as the others left to prepare the snacks for the party, a jealous glint shimmering like a red ruby in his eyes as he angrily chewed his lip.

"She liked my act. A LOT. She asked me to come with, and I did." The Mad Hatter told Heartwing. "Heck, I'll be playing her and Legato's song for them at the party, the same one I played at their weddin'. Wanna hear?" He asked, a big grin stretching across his face.

"Oh, yes!" Heartwing insisted.

The Mad Hatter cleared his throat and was about to begin when he stopped, hearing a noise upstairs. "...wait. You hear that?" He asked Heartwing.

"...I hear...a guitar." Heartwing admitted. "Coming from the-"

Their eyes widened. The tower. Where Manifest was kept. Who'd snuck a guitar in to the person who's power was all about using music to manifest abilities?

They quickly jumped up, racing across the dance hall as Manifest plucked away at the guitar, silently nodding his head for a few minutes in tune to the rhythm of the song he was playing before he began so sing. "**_He was always faithful...always kind, but he walked off with...this heart...of miiiine..._**

"I've heard that song before." Heartwing said as he and the Mad Hatter opened up the door. "I KNOW I have..."

"You should. It's yours. It belongs to you. To everyone. Don't we all have our own personal Jesus?" Manifest asked, putting the guitar down on his bed as the Mad Hatter folded his arms, seeing the little gift-tag on the guitar reading "To MD, from The Rabbit". "Everyone has their own special someone, someone more special than anything or anyone else, am I right?"

Heartwing blinked, putting a silver-tipped finger to his lip.

He did have someone like that. Lilo and Nick had been dear, DEAR friends. Charlie, he was probably his best friend in all the world. He loved Chibisuke and Esmeralda, his beautiful children, and...

But what Manifest meant was someone like a lover. Did he have that? Did he truly have that?

Snizzi had loved Nick in that way. It had been strange, and weird, and gross to Heartwing to think about, but he'd sympathized with the imp. He knew Nick couldn't...what was the word King had used? "Reciprocate"? He couldn't do that. He couldn't return the feelings. Snizzi needed to wake up, but unfortunately for that "Sleeping Beauty", his Prince Charming wasn't gay. Or even part demon. Or old enough.

Or, for that matter, ALIVE.

Yeah, he knew what it meant for someone to love someone else that way. But did he love anyone like that?

"...I don't know for sure. But...there's someone who comes close." Heartwing found himself saying as his eyes misted slightly, thinking back to the day he'd held his newborn children in their arms.

_Heatwave_.

"...you're crying." Manifest spoke softly, as the Mad Hatter turned to look at Heartwing, a single tear making his way down his cheek.

...

...the town of Orpheus by Ayer's Rock was, to put it simply, oddly subdued.

It should have been vibrant. After all, it was an enormous country-style city. Large wooden and stone buildings, a big saloon/bar with a "Wild-West" style swivel door entrance, a large lake with several docks which had, from the discarded giant tubes left upon them indicated, been a great place for summer relaxation. A large water tower reaching up into the sky as if seeking to rip a hole through it, a flowery garden growing BY said tower...

Even the graveyard far across the lake looked picturesque and cheery. Decorated with dozens of flowers, statues of smiling faces, embracing lovers and happy families, the graveyard housed the only smiling faces THERE. Everyone else had an expression of a singular nature on their face.

That nature was "meh".

"Hey." Mayor Will, a darker-skinned Australian man with dirty-blonde hair said, shaking Princess's hand as Green and Daveigh exited the car.

"No, "g'day, mate"?" Princess asked, one eyebrow raised, looking expectantly at him.

"...doesn't feel like much of a good day."

"**Say it.**" Princess demanded.

"...G'DAY, mate." The dirty-blonde mayor of the town of Orpheus sighed, shaking his head back and forth as he adjusted his pocket tee, leading them through the streets to his home. "You're not the first people that the Caterpillar's beloved Tak has sent here. Excuse me for being pessimistic and doubtful, but what do you hope to accomplish? You're not exactly the...strongest-looking people I would have hoped for." He told the girls. "Why didn't you bring along your Secret Service? There's strength in numbers, it's a good ward to protect you from coming down with a bad case of the**dead**..."

"The people of the United States are fine without me, they barely pay attention to anything else but the State Governments." Princess said with a dismissive hand gesture.

Princess knew she had to be careful about what she said. From the way the mayor was speaking, he assumed that all of the others that Tak had sent had, after going off after this "thing" that kept plaguing the town of Orpheus, spiritual capital of Australia, died. Horribly. He didn't know they all apparently survived, and there was probably a reason why Tak had neglected to mention this.

She gave the others a quick "don't say anything" look, finger held in front of her lips as she turned back to the mayor, who lit up a cigarette. "Just tell us where this thing that keeps appearing...well, APPEARS."

"Where else?" He murmured quietly, sadly, pointing across the lake, in the direction of the graveyard some distance from Ayer's Rock itself.

It was then that Princess noticed something, or rather, FELT it. A presence...stifling, heavy, thick and hot, emanating from with Uluru. She panted slightly, adjusting her sleeveless shirt as she turned to Green and Daveigh.

"You know...I'm hungry." She decided.

"When was the last time we actually sat down and ate a nice meal?" Green wondered. "...we need pie." She decided.

"Excuse me, Mayor Will, sir, uh...is there anyplace around here that sells pie?" Daveigh asked.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER...

"Order uuuuuup!" A bun-haired Australian woman called out, bringing over some lunch specials to their table. "An egg salad sandwich, two orders of apple pie and a cheeseburger, nice and fresh." She told the foursome.

"Mmmmmm." Green said, eagerly digging into the pie piece.

"Good as you wanted?" Mayor Will asked, raising an eyebrow.

"BETTER, actually. Thanks for bringing us here, Will!" Green asked eagerly, licking her claws free of pie crust.

"This is probably the best cheeseburger I've ever had." Princess said, licking her lips free of cheddar cheese. "You know, my mom liked to cook me cheeseburgers every weekend."

"A big family cookout, eh?" Mayor Will mused, chuckling slightly. "My wife and I used to do that to with our family. Then we'd go bowling afterwards."

"We had a circus nearby. We went there instead." Princess told them all as she scarfed down the rest of her burger at near-super-speed. "I liked the high-wire acts the most."

"You had an interesting childhood." Green remarked. "And that's saying something, considering my parents abandoned me to save me from The Devil."

"Huh?" Daveigh blinked stupidly over in her direction. "They did?"

Green sighed inwardly. Daveigh still hadn't "remembered" everything. Were she, Heartwing and King the only ones who remembered the truth? Remembered about Nick, about what Samael had done? Remembered how the Minor Arcana had appeared, remembered Kil-

"Daveigh, here." Princess ordered, tossing a wallet from her back pocket through the air. "Go get a shotgun. And a buttload of bullets. Get things that blow things up. Meet us at Ayer's Rock, Green and I are going to check it out." Princess told her suddenly. "I've been getting a bad feeling ever since I got here, a bad feeling coming right from that red hunk of stone. So don't screw this up, okay?"

"Uh, sure." Daveigh murmured nervously. "But listen, please, be CAREFUL." She insisted to Green and Princess as she pocketed the wallet. "We don't know what we're dealing with."

She looked around the town. Something was off. Something wasn't right.

What was she missing?

From a nearby tree, it watched. Hidden away, the shadow calmly waited, listening intently, a faint aura of amusement rising from it's body. "Well, well, well." It whispered. "Those kinds of people. Can't be much older than 25."

"Good indeed." The others waiting by the tree whispered as one. "Bring them. Bring them, bring them, bring them, bring them..."

...

...Daveigh rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she looked at the on-stock weapons in the back of the bar. She couldn't BELIEVE what was being offered up on the wall of the heavily-postered saloon. A contest advertising, of all things, a rocket launcher.

A ROCKET LAUNCHER.

"We fought PROUDLY in the war, ma'am." The bartender insisted in a thick accent, slamming his fist onto the bar as several dozen other patrons raised their glasses in agreement. "And we got to keep our weapons. They're badges of honor."

"So they took your uniforms and stuff, but not your guns." Daveigh stated. "...yeah. Yeah, I see how that makes sense. But which war are you talking about?" Daveigh found herself asking, still confused.

"The one 'gainst those bugs. THAT was the toughest war we ever fought." One bald-headed, fat, white-shirted man insisted, his friends in the apparently very military-friendly bar agreeing.

"At least **WE** won **OURS**, ya whiny, dope-smokers!" A blue-cap wearing old man with one tooth yelled at the table that man was at. "World War II was the last great war!"

"BAH, the RUSSIANS did all the dirty work fer YOU guys! We were over in Libya fightin' off terrorists, our "Desert Storm"! THAT was a real war!" Another man in a dark-green t-shirt.

"Desert Storm my ass, more like Desert Drizzle!" The bartender laughed. "You want conflict, I was over in IRAQ, motherf—kers!"

Meanwhile, Princess and Green were waiting outside of a large cave in Ayer's Rock, wisely staying fifty feet away from the entrance, looking at each other, then back at the town. "What's takin' Dave so long?" Princess mused as a nearby tree swayed slightly in the wind.

"Hey, it's "Daveigh Evelyn Pelekai", and it's a **beautiful** name." Green insisted, waving a claw in the air, suddenly hearing a strange noise. A buzzing, hissing kind of sound like dragonflies flying through the air. "...do you...hear that?" She murmured, whipping her head back and forth, trying to hone in on the sound with her ears.

"Bring them both here." The being whispered, claws raking against the wall of the place it called home. "Bring them here NOW."

"...P-Princess..." Green whispered, eyes widening in horror as she looked over in the direction of the tree. She pointed with a black claw, gasping. "The shadows..."

Princess looked...

There were now two shadows emerging from the tree, one of which rose up, a vague imitation of life faintly visible before a phantom smile spread across it's formless face.

And with that, they swarmed out of the shadows, buzzing on insectoid wings, compound eyes glittering with a microphone-like mouth as they hissed and "b'zzed", swarming through the air, clutching tiny little scythes, pale hair flying behind them. The size of horseflies...and with far worse stings.

"I hope you ain't soiled your tie-dyed pants, Rainbow Brite." Princess said quietly. "Not frozen in fear, are you?"

"No."

"Good. RUN."

"Just ignore them, shiela." The mayor said as he and Daveigh sat down, Daveigh ignoring the others as they got into a heated drinking contest to see which veteran could hold the most. "Tell me, what do you know about...well, the undead?"

"...I've fought them a couple times before." She said softly. "Why?"

"That's not the thing that's been plaguing us. It's more like...a side effect from the real thing. The thing that came here ten years ago." The mayor informed them as Daveigh began to think about what he was saying.

Ten years. Ten years and a bustling town with...

Something wasn't right. What had she missed? She'd missed something.

"An undead is something like a demon. More like a demonic-possessed shell of a human. Demons came to our home...led by this...this THING." The mayor told her as Green and Princess continued to run from the buzzing things, barreling down hewn hallways of rock, panting heavily. "Demons feed on negative human emotions, you know. They're like creatures of pure NEED."

"A demon came?" Daveigh asked gently, taking the mayor's hand and squeezing it. "What happened?"

Mayor Will held his head in his hands, sighing. "It was...it was the worst day of my life. Tuesday. Ten years, five weeks and three days ago. I...I remember I was arguing with my wife about our son. Something about...I...I hope it was important." He murmured.

And with that, Daveigh's eyes widened.

His son.

"...Mayor...where are all the children?" Daveigh asked quietly, the others in the bar suddenly becoming silent.

The mayor bowed his head as Princess and Daveigh found themselves tripping, falling into a pitfall, screaming as they plummeted down, down into darkness, into the smooth coils of something that gazed down over them, an amused expression dancing across it's features as it reached down with large, wicked claws.

"...Mayor...where are all the children?!" Daveigh insisted, a furious, fearful glint coming to her eyes as she slammed her hands into the table, the other men in the bar slowly rising as they calmly made their way towards her.

"There's one more of them..." The thing whispered as it looked down at it's prey. "...Hellmouth...get going. Finish...the job..."

_"...Mayor...where are all the children?!"_ Daveigh screamed as she began to be pulled away, forced along by the others as the townsfolk silently watched her being brought down the road, alongside the lake and towards the graveyard.

From the mouth of the cave it came as Daveigh screeched in horror. It was an enormous, lizard-like draconic creature, a whip-like tail lashing at the ground, a crest of horny spikes rising off it's head, several jutting down near a maw...a burning maw filled with fire, kept barely contained by a set of grate-like fangs that slowly, painstakingly opened. A sound like the creaking of a raising drawbridge filled the air as it opened it's mouth, allowing the grate to rise, allowing the flame to pass out slightly in a light but lethal waft of flame, claws tightly gripping the ground as the winged things buzzed around the townsfolk, who bowed their head in shame as the buzzing things screeched all at once.

"A bad one, a bad one, a bad one, a bad one!"

"You **MONSTER!**" She screamed at the mayor. "Your own CHILDREN?!"

"I've saved the lives of everyone in this town." The mayor said calmly, coldly, snapping his fingers as the other men let Daveigh go, moving far away as the thing rushed forward, jaws snapping, Daveigh letting out a screech as she tried to run.

Tried.

Failed.

...

...Groaning in pain, they slowly rose to their feet, mumbling as they held their heads. They could vaguely feel something enveloping their bodies, holding them tightly in snake-like coils as a faint chuckle echoed through the air. They became aware then of just where they were, and their eyes widened.

The only way to describe it was something from out of a nightmare. All of the walls were covered in a dark, tarry substance, the faint remnants of people being left to be buried within remaining behind. Stalactites jutted down from the ceiling, almost pointed, as if eager to fall down and tear through flesh...

Though not as disturbingly eager as the thing that held them in its coils, a creature ten times bigger than they were, towering tall above them, skeletal claws resting on powerful arms as sunken, orange eyes gazed down at them. This thing that held them tightly had faintly purplish/black skin like an alien night, and horns red like decayed blood atop a spiked head, two blue triangular tattoos jutting down from its eyes as it chuckled...

It had no mouth. It had nothing but bones rising up, supporting half a head, with neck and maw long since ripped off. And yet it spoke, it spoke like the burning of a cold fire.

"Hello." It said. "Welcome. Upon this rock, we built our home. What are you doing here?"

"Sn-Snizzi?" Green whispered, looking the thing over as it chuckled slightly.

"So it's you. You and yet...not you. Do tell me...where ARE you from, young ones? What world do you call home?"

"We...we're from a parallel existence." Green managed to murmur out, recomposing herself as the thing uncoiled around them, calmly slithering around instead, sizing them up...no, no, it HAD already sized them up. This thing that reeked of charcoal was simply doing this to unsettle them, she was sure of this. "What are you doing here, exactly?"

"This is our rock." It repeated calmly, stopping in place, gesturing at a doorway of flesh behind it, held together with sinews methodically taken from poor, unfortunate souls. Green nodded over at Princess and the two made their way through the door, gazing out at a sight they would take to their grave.

Hundreds. Hundreds upon HUNDREDS of demonic entities all rising from a dark ground, gazing upon them, faintly growling, hissing, chuckling...an air of unmistakable contemptuous amusement lingering as the thing rested its giant claws on their shoulders. The enormous hewn-out hall went on and on, seemingly for MILES in the dark recesses of Ayer's Rock was faintly glowing torches of silver fire lit up the mighty room.

"The rock you crawled out from under...you've ALWAYS been here, haven't you?" Green realized.

"You're not the one I know, but...it IS good to see a familiar face." The thing spoke. "You needn't worry though, I've no intentions of harming you or your friend here..._YET._" The dark being added, one claw carefully held over their throats, moving across it, trying not to cut in before it was removed and went back to rest on their shoulders. "Now then, come with me."

It plucked them up in its large claws, holding them firm as it brought them to some kind of stairway, carefully descending. "You're slightly older than the others, I admit, but it does not truly matter."

"You haven't killed any of the people that were "sent" to you, we KNOW this." Princess said defiantly, golden eyes blazing. "Tell us, creature. What are you doing here?"

"We've ALWAYS been here. This was OUR world before it was theirs." It said, shaking its head back and forth. "We just decided to them know we were ten years ago. We had an arrangement. Unfortunately, now it's time to end that arrangement."

"What arrangement?" Green asked as they reached an enormous set of double doors, the beast opening it with the tip of its tail.

"We agreed to leave Orpheus alone. But you see, young ones...the problem is...these fine folks ran out of children." The thing said.

Green and Princess's insides went cold, even though the temperature suddenly spiked from the hellish, draconic thing that now blocked their path, gated maw opening wide.

"And so, it's time to collect for what they've done." The being that held them said, and had it a mouth, it would have smiled. "It is time for the town of Orpheus to die for sacrificing it's children."

With that, Green and Princess whipped their heads towards the horned thing's head. What? WHAT?!

The draconic thing rose on its legs, towering high in the enormous hallway as it reached for its stomach, a vault-like thing of the same bony grating as it's maw. It smiled calmly, opening it up and reaching in, an unharmed but unconscious Daveigh mumbling as it held her in one of its enormous, clawed hands, it's other hand forming a sizzling, crystalline orb. Carefully, it deposited the sleeping Daveigh into the ball like she was a goldfish and it was a tank for her to swim in, the human hovering within the orb, faintly whimpering as the demonic dragon smiled, turning to the others.

"Orpheus dies for what it did." The thing said with a voice like a rising fire. "You three...need to be kept out of the way for when we do it. We tire of them sending others to do their work. And so I, the Hellmouth, am going to bring you to your new home, young ones."

The horned thing handed it over to the Hellmouth as it did to Green and Princess what it did to Daveigh, the Hellmouth bowing before the horned thing. "Thank you, Corrupted." It said proudly. "When do we move out?"

"You're-you're going to just...kill them all?" Green finally asked, eyes widening.

The Corrupted's eyes glittered darkly in her direction. "We're going to do worse than **kill** them."


	12. Hellfire

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"The man who abhors violence, never carrying a gun, but this is the truth, Doctor: you take ordinary people and you fashion them into weapons... behold your Children of Time, transformed into murderers." Davros _

11  
HELLFIRE

_My name's Green. If you've found this, I congratulate you. It was well-hidden, this little text._

_I feel so ashamed. What might be my last words, my life story, and I'm writing it on construction paper with crayons._

_My own history...I'd forgotten it for a long time, obstructed by a dark haze of memory. Lost in a dark cloud..._

_I was a test tube baby, that I know for sure. My parents were, well, supervillains. FORCED to be supervillains by a foul force. They did love me though._

_I know they did. They did everything they could to make sure that, despite everything, I'd choose right over wrong, good over evil. I sided with one third of my genetic donors, with Grey Nicholas Pelekai, the Strength of the Major Arcana. And I became the High Priestess, with manipulative might over flame and magnetic fields. And I was SMART. Dammit, I was REAL smart._

_I was proud of who I was, even though my mother and father were long gone, vanished from reality. Their world died so others could live. And...as I write these words, I find myself wishing that, for just one minute I could see them again, and tell them how PROUD I was of them, that they made me into who I am and I'll always love them for that..._

_Instead, I'm stuck in here with my friend, Daveigh, and another being, Princess. We're trapped. Unable to get out of a strange prison._

_Please, if anyone does find this...whatever you do..._

_Don't give in to the worst of you. I almost did when I was younger in my ignorance. The townsfolk that led us to our imprisonment did the same. They're going to pay a dark price._

_Don't...you...EVER...give in..._

Of all the prisons that they could have imagined...this wasn't what they had in mind. They'd been deposited in a sort of parody of a waiting room for a child's dentist. Red chairs...coffee tables...plastic balls and blocks situated on the ground to the side, with several dozen toy-chests already opened, their contents being used by dozens of children that sat all around. The older generation were sitting in several dozen giant purple couches, or standing by a water cooler, talking to each other.

Some of them had sat by Green and Princess, whilst Daveigh played "Patty-cake" with a toddler. One of them brushed thick red hair back, looking over at Green. "...you're skin's all green. Is that a skin condition?"

"Uh, no, no, I'm an Experimental American."

"Oh, wow. Don't see too many of THOSE out here." The kid admitted. "I'm Arlen, by the way." He jabbed a thumb back at his black-haired girlfriend. "That's Darlene. We're "D&A"."

"...huh?"

"The famous internet celebrities? Publish a magazine?"

"Sorry, I'm kind of a hick." Green admitted, shrugging slightly as Princess shook Darlene's hand eagerly.

"I've read all your blogs. You're a GENIUS, let me tell you." She told Darlene. How interesting. The two sort of looked a lot like...she looked back in Daveigh's direction, then back at Darlene, deciding not to comment on it. "I didn't know you lived here in Orpheus, though."

"We were the first to go...because we had the most people listening to us." Darlene admitted sadly, leaning back in her chair and sighing as he shook her head back and forth. "They grabbed us when we were sleeping, our own PARENTS, I..." She chewed her lip. "They were all so desperate..."

"We were surprised that we LIVED, we thought we were going to die." Arlen said nervously, gesticulating with his hands. "Instead, they take us here and tell us to wait. We're all just waiting. They intend to release us, they've let us know THAT much if nothing else, but still..."

"They said they intend to do worse than kill the town." Green murmured nervously, folding her arms, brow furrowed in deep thought. "...what could that mean?"

Princess closed her eyes, calmly leaning back in her seat. "The facility has a laboratory just two floors below. If someone could somehow get through to it, they'd have access to the computer consoles of magi-tech that keep this place locked down." She turned her head in Green's direction. "You're pyrokinetic, you can become the flame. Shift your way through the heating system and into the laboratory."

"How do you know all this about us?" Green demanded to know. "The manner in which you treat us, the...wait." She looked deep into Sari's eyes, scanning her over, and tried to imagine a young girl growing up. She pictured a familiar being, a soft smile, a child badly hurt by years being alone...

"Sari." She spoke softly. "It's you."

Sari smiled and nodded her pink-haired head. "Been a while...I missed you guys. I...I REALLY missed you guys."

"Sari?" Daveigh asked, swerving her head over in Green's direction. Why was that name familiar?

"Michael's daughter, the autistic child." Green reminded her. "...you don't remember. Let me guess...only the ones who remember Nick remember you and the others? Remember...my mom? My dad?"

"Yeah." Princess admitted. "EVERYONE forgot about them...well, almost everyone. And you remembered somehow. I think Manifest had something to do with that...when he tried to heal you earlier, he unlocked the memories within, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did..." Green realized, rubbing her chin. "I can't believe how BIG you've grown, and...and PRESIDENT? President of the United States? Your father would be so proud if he could see you-wait. Wait..." She frowned. "How did you end up here?"

"It's a long story. We don't have time for it now. Think you can get us out of here?" Sari, aka Princess inquired, patting Green on the shoulder as Green stood up, walking over to the tiny ventilation system in the walls.

"Leave that...to me." She said. The grating was almost microscopic, but waves of heat were still waves of heat.

"Okay kids, everyone look away, Ms. Green needs some "private time"." Daveigh warned the younger children as Green reached up to her face with her black claws, beginning to PEEL her flesh off, almost skinning herself as she tossed it to the ground, the fur and flesh dissolving away as her true form became visible, a burning, fiery phantom of living flame that began to compress itself into a haze that filtered into the ventilation grating.

Within a few minutes, she found herself exactly where she wanted to be: the underground laboratory. The walls glowed brightly with pale runes running up and down against stainless steel, a faint crackle of lightning brimming from inside of a capsule apparently suppling power to the entire facility...

Yes, yes, it was definitely the source of power. Green was clever, well-versed in knowledge. And spending so much time with Snizzi had helped her understand infernal magic, the power of Hell. This giant black moonstone before her that sizzled and sparkled in the capsule was what was keeping the entire place running. If she destroyed it, the whole place would shut down. It wouldn't take much to pull the plug...

Unfortunately for her, life liked to throw curveballs in her direction. This curveball was giant, red, demonic and draconic.

And annoyed.

"I am VERY disappointed in you, youngling." The Hellmouth said darkly, claws digging into the roof above before it dropped down towards Green, who quickly dived through the air, propelled by tiny fiery jets. She hovered in place above the floor, gazing with blazing eyes upon the Hellmouth as it looked her over. "Trying to escape AND shut down all the power? How irritating. We need this moonstone for our plan. Do you think the runes on the walls are just there for decoration?"

Green glanced around but the Hellmouth's tail caught her on the side of the head. Had she actually been in solid form, it would have most likely sent her flying, possibly even killed her. Luckily, it just passed harmlessly through her fiery body, the Hellmouth frowning as it withdrew it's tail and circled around her body.

"This is a spell for causing mass-murder." She realized upon translating the runes running up and down the walls in her head. The DETAILS about it were vague, but the overall message was horrifying. "You want to slaughter the people of Orpheus?"

"Oh you poor little thing!" The Hellmouth laughed, leaping at her, mouth open, trying to engulf her and trap her. She jetted away, backpedaling through the air as it growled at her. "It's amusing that you don't yet know the truth. You will eventually. You all will. You're different than the others, that's why we spare you. Don't make us regret this mercy."

"And the children?" Green snapped back at him, sweeping one arm through the air, launching a fireball from her clawed hand as the Hellmouth knocked it into the roof, making it explode into tiny sparks.

"They're young, innocent...they live. But the town dies for what it did. Really, they've only themselves to blame." The Hellmouth insisted, leaping through the air, claws outstretched as swaths of dark energy covered them. Green dove to the side again, grabbing his tail and YANKING hard. She wasn't as strong as her father, but she managed to fling him into the moonstone container.

It shattered like the breaking of a china pot and Green laughed triumphantly, pointing at the Hellmouth. "It's over, demon. Now if you'll excuse me..."

She was caught off guard by the thing's nearly-insane laughter as it threw it's head back and roared over and over. Green hovered in the air for a moment, stupidly blinking before she finally yelled at him. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!"

"Girl, do you think I'm some foolish supervillain who just talks about his plan and leaves you time to stop me, and by extension, said plan? The spell has already been cast. We did it five minutes ago."

Green paled, mouth dropping open slightly. "Stop it. You tell me how to stop it NOW..." She growled.

"Stop it?" The Hellmouth spoke softly. "Youngling, there IS no stopping it. Right now your other self's already there, bringing about the final part in the plan."

He then launched one clawed hand forth, red lightning sparkling around a crystalline ball of some kind of energy. It slammed into Green, and she sank inside of the ball as the Hellmouth smiled coldly, calmly walking over to her and picking her up.

"You'll stay in there, youngling. And don't bother trying to get out. Every time you even think of it, you'll get shocked-"

"AAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEE!" Green screeched, her body viciously assaulted by a white-hot sizzling BURNING that scorched her very existence. She fell unconscious, the Hellmouth's last words lingering in her ear, sneering, mocking.

"Like THAT."

...

...meanwhile, the party at the White Queen's castle had gotten underway, and things were positively JUMPING. There was a vivid energy filling the whole room as couples swept across the floor, embraced deeply in lively dance, others happily chatting it up by the enormous tables that held the various well-baked and finely-cooked foods to be served. At one such table, the Mad Hatter had set up a card game and was evidently betting with people over-

Wait a minute.

"C'moooooon. Just one more round to win it back?" The White Rabbit asked nervously as the Mad Hatter deposited a Charizard Holo-Foil card into his jacket, shaking his head. Ember moaned and hung her head, shaking it back and forth as the Mad Hatter turned to Manifest, who readied his Pokémon deck, his guitar sitting in a chair nearby as Frequency talked to a slightly brooding Legato.

"It's such an excellent party, brah. You really outdid yourself. Radical paint job on the walls, BTW."

"Yeah, I guess." Legato mumbled. He seemed to be repressing some kind of violent rage and kept glaring over at Manifest.

"You need to relax, man." Frequency said, patting his shoulder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME." Legato snapped. "I can't "relax", I still have so much to do! I don't get the same ass-kissing royal treatment that my Queen gets from her people, well, I DIDN'T until I finally caught that white-haired little prick, I always have to **work** for my-"

He shook his head, grunting slightly. "Where's Merrily, I need to find her..." He mumbled quietly, holding his head as if he had a headache, Frequency noticing a momentary bloody red tear trickling down his cheek, a shiver going up the blue-furred being's back as Legato walked off to go find his wife.

_"Things are getting worse."_ Manifest thought to himself, seeing Legato's current state and frowning as he put down an Eevee card, delivering an ironic finishing move to The Mad Hatter's prize Rapidash. _"It's only a matter of time. I need to get everyone out of the castle...but how?"_

Then an idea hit him. He'd been planning a dance, a song for Legato and his wife the White Queen. If he could use that just right...

He left The Mad Hatter to mourn his losses and approached the piano, taking the microphone on the stage nearby as he tapped it a few times, getting the crowd's attention as it gazed at the rainbow-eyes being. He spoke softly, quietly, almost as if seeking to enchant them. "Ladies and gentlemen...I'd like to slow things down and...play a little song for a very special woman and a VERY special man. My lord, my lady...this is for you."

He put the microphone back in it's stand and then seated himself at the piano, cracking his fingers before beginning to play a soft and sentimental song, Legato and Merrily becoming visible in two spotlights as Oskar gave the White Queen a thumbs up, Coraline sighing as she held the other in her hands.

"I KNOW this, this is...this is ours." The White Queen whispered, approaching the White King and clasping his hand against his chest, the two of them moving in a waltz as Manifest locked eyes with the Mad Hatter, making him look in the direction of the field of flowers outside of a patio door.

Understanding, the Mad Hatter opened up the door as Manifest began to sing, Legato and Merrily sweeping through the room as the other guests crowded back to give them room.

**_When I would sing my songs...  
On the stage...on my oooown...  
I would sing my woooords...  
Wishing they...would be heard!_**

_**I saw you smiling at me...**_  
_**Was it real, or just my fan-tas-y?**_  
_**You'd always be there for me, waiting...**_  
_**In that seat...at the bar!**_

"Eyes on Me", eh?" Coraline admitted as they maneuvered the spotlight to follow the couple as they continued to make their way around the ballroom, slowly inching closer towards the moonlit flowers outside. "Good thing he's playing it so carefully and not like a pop song. Taking it slow makes it sound MUCH better."

"I didn't know you were a fan of slow ballads." Oskar admitted as Coraline nervously blushed.

"Well...you never asked." She said quietly, giggling a little.

**_My last night here for you...  
Same old songs, just once moooore...  
My last night here with you?  
Maybe yes, maybe noooo!_**

_**I saw you smiling at me...**_  
_**Watched you place your gentle eyes on me...**_  
_**And little did you know?**_  
_**That I had mine...**_  
_**On you?**_

_**Darling, so there you are...**_  
_**With that look on your face!**_  
_**As if you're never hurt...**_  
_**As if you're never die!**_

_**Shall I be the one for you...**_  
_**That holds you so softly, but sure?**_  
_**And once I hold you,**_  
_**I will know I am not dreeeaaaaamiiing...**_

By now, the two were deeply placed within a flower bed, the moon casting pale light upon them, as Legato and Merrily slowly drew closer...closer. The feel of each other's lips, faint at first and then...a full kiss, deep and loving as they embraced under the starlit sky.

**_Shall I be the one for you...  
That holds you so softly, but sure?  
And once I hold you,  
I will know I am not dreeeaaaaamiiing..._**

Heartwing, naturally, was crying at this and had covered his eyes with one arm, excusing himself to the bathroom to keep from ruining the mood. "Oh, th-that was just...oh, they're so SWEET together..."

_"So much schmaltz. Makes me want to PUKE."_ A familiar, pitiless voice mused. And by now it was far, far closer to him than it had been before.

A white, clawed hand suddenly shot out of the mirror as a caved-in face leered jaggedly at Heartwing, claws gripping into his throat. The thing that had plagued his mind since he got here, the near-nameless terror now had a form that mocked his very own.

_"Oh don't worry, I'm not going to harm you. After all..."_

There was a burst of sulfurous smoke, a sickening belching sound as the dragon was transfigured, a dark and decayed appearance covering his now-stolen body as Heartwing inwardly screamed, trapped inside like a rat in a cage.

"**A mind is a terrible thing to waste.**"

...

...meanwhile, Daveigh was leading the other children up a long flight of stairs to the faint light still visible in the soon-to-be-night sky. The sun, halfway risen, or halfway fallen, it was confusing to them exactly what time it was, was giving them a beautiful array of colors as the children of Orpheus made their way out with Princess taking up the rear, keeping an eye out for trouble.

"Come on, everyone, stay together, don't panic." Daveigh insisted gently. "We're going to get through this, we can do anything by working with each-"

"Green." Princess gasped, seeing the Hellmouth approaching her at the other end of the long hallway the stairway was situated in. "Let her go and I promise to ONLY beat you to a pulp!"

"Oh REALLY?" Hellmouth mused softly, clutching the contained Green high in the air.

"Don't worry, I'll send you flowers when you're in the hospital." Princess, aka Sari, added, cracking her knuckles as Daveigh bounded down the stairs to help, only to have her start bounding back UP as the Hellmouth raced towards them, snarling and hissing. Not wanting to get run down and wisely deciding to fight in a more open area, Princess ran after Daveigh who quickly moved the children to the far side of Ayer's Rock, the pink-haired young woman facing the Hellmouth down as he clutched Green's captured form in his tail, claws bristling and ready to tear.

"What do you say you skip the little "you know not what you do" chat and just get to the part where we try to kill each other?" The Hellmouth spoke calmly.

"Fine by me." Sari snapped, her form seeming to shimmer in place as her father's power was made manifest, Michael White's chrono-kinetic abilities living within her as she clutched her fists tightly, chaos energy forming into spikes that shot out at the Hellmouth. "Daveigh, little help here?" She called out.

"My powers are centered around Ashton and I, I don't really know how to fight." Daveigh murmured nervously. "If he isn't here, then-"

"How typical of the average modern woman: always claiming independence and strength but without your man, you're an easy target." The Hellmouth crowed, making Princess angrily spit at him in disgusts as she leapt through the air, kicking him squarely in the face with her foot, knocking him back a few feet.

"Care to say that AGAIN, you misogynistic-"

THWAP! He knocked her up into the air with a vicious slap of one clawed hand, his tail shooting the orb out, snatching her up. Now she and Green were both deposited inside the orb as Daveigh was left alone, standing by a tree and nervously gulping as she stared down the demonic dragon.

"I knew that would get her all fired up. Now then...what would make you want to resist?" The Hellmouth mused calmly, gripping the crystalline ball that held Green and Sari prisoner tightly. Daveigh chewed her lip as she stood her ground, hands clenched into fists as the Hellmouth smiled slightly. "Ah, but I don't need to really do ANYTHING, do I, Daveigh? I know you the same way I know the others. You're such a little nanny, you'd do anything to protect your beloved _ohana_..."

"I don't know how you know who I really seem to be, but I don't care. Let them go." Daveigh said quietly, firmly. "Now."

"You know perfectly well I'm not going to." The Hellmouth said calmly. "You want the younglings back, well...I'll be kind...and let you JOIN them."

A clawed hand shot forth. Daveigh ducked to the side to avoid it as The Hellmouth tried to snatch her up again. She leapt about, dodging his oncoming attempts to grab her as she laughed slightly. "You'll have to do better than that-"

GRAB!

"That's better!" She squeaked out as he squeezed her more tightly, blood dribbling down onto his claws as she shrieked in pain, amusement flickering in his neon green eyes.

"It was a good try, girl. But really, this was inevitable." The Hellmouth calmly remarked, depositing her in the crystalline orb as waves of energy swarmed through them, the dragon smiling coldly.

And then...silence.

From across the lake, the Hellion raised a pipe up, striking it against the gas tank, smiling coldly as flame began to spread through the town, it's people rushing out to escape, rushing out into roads that had become black tar beneath the thing's feet. It tilted it's head to the side, amusingly watching as they struggled to get out, the tar dragging them down, down into suffocating blackness.

Though it had no face...it grinned as the black shadow released the winged things, the Blinded Judges acting as jury and executioners.

Somehow...it GRINNED.

...

...they awoke to find themselves atop Uluru, the Corrupted standing there, arms folded across it's chest as fire rose from the city in a disturbing cross-like series of sections, a pitch smell rising into the air, foul and malodorous as the Hellmouth held the crystalline prison tightly to his chest. "It's no good, trying to escape." The Corrupted said. "Really, Green. I am SO disappointed in your resistance. Of all the people I thought would raise a stink about this, you'd be the last one to do so. You understood that it wasn't right for parents to do cruel things to their children. You always swore to care for the little ones whenever you could."

"We've never met before." Green snapped at him, ignoring the pain that surged through her body.

"Ah, but we HAVE. I was there when you first came down to Hell. When Barubary introduced you to me. I welcomed you with open arms, my beloved Green..." The Corrupted whispered, and Green's eyes widened like black and green saucer plates as the thing went on. "I was there for the birth of your children. I played along with them. I taught you so much magic...I trusted you so deeply. Do you remember when you died on the rooftop with so many of the others? My heart tore in two that day..."

"...no. No, it can't be." Green murmured. "This is a **parallel** world, you don't have knowledge of-"

"It IS me. I'm The Emperor. Snizzi. I have ALL his memories the same way the Hellmouth here has your friend Vassago's...the same way the Blinded Judges have Myr's...the way the Spectral Trace has Shin's...the same way the Hellion-"

"STOP. You CAN'T...it...the Snizzi I knew wouldn't do this to innocent people!" Green screamed angrily in denial as Princess chewed her lip, eyes closed in sorrow, Daveigh looking from the Corrupted to Green.

"Innocent?" The Corrupted almost snorted as the Hellmouth laughed slightly. "They sacrificed their children to demons to save their own filthy skin. Tragically, there ARE no innocents here. But that'll change. See, we do know the right way to live, unlike the people here who have fallen to their most base selves, and we'll bury the children's knowledge of what they knew, we'll raise them right."

"What they knew?" Daveigh asked as Princess grit her teeth.

"They'll never grow up and never know the truth with the magic we have. They won't need anybody or anything. Especially not the monsters they laughingly call their 'dear mommy and daddies'. " The Corrupted went on, sweeping a hand in the air.

"I take it we don't have a place in this "Brave New World"?" Green growled, resting one hand on Daveigh's bloodied arm, claws dipping into the oozing red.

"Au contraire! We're not so heartless. You'll be reverted back to your younger selves. In time, everything you thought you knew will just be a dream..." The Hellmouth said sweetly. "This whole world will become one sweet, sweet dream. And we'll care for it, I assure you. You know how much I love children, Sari." The Hellmouth cooed at Princess.

"But it IS good to see you here in this mockery of an existence." The Corrupted added, turning around and gesturing at the land around them with his giant claws. "I could see you, hear you, smell you, even feel you walking on the grass outside our Rock the moment you came within 50 feet. But I chose not to have you brought here until I could unveil my plan to you." He chuckled slightly. "I suppose I've finally become something of an old-fashioned supervillain after all, haven't I?"

"Yep. And your monologue was long enough so that I could do THIS." Green said, finishing her writing with Daveigh's blood, visible runes glittering on the crystalline orb around them.

It SHATTERED into pieces, the Hellmouth screaming as it fell, it's eyes impaled, dissipating into white with as Green grabbed ahold of Daveigh and Princess, leaping through the air and landing on the ground as she turned to Princess. "Deal with them. I'll go help the townspeople." She insisted, rushing off through the air as Daveigh and Princess stood their ground against the Corrupted who slithered down, furiously hissing.

"Daveigh, you can't possibly beat me." He growled, lashing his tail out to snatch her up as Daveigh spun backwards through the air, Princess launching a wave of chaos energy that struck the thing across the face, making it reel backwards, blood drizzling down his mouth as Sari clenched her fists, firing off fist-shaped blasts of chaos energy at the thing.

"Maybe-she-can't-but-I-can!" Sari roared out with each swing as the Corrupted fell back against Uluru, Sari leaping through the air and bitch-slapping him across the face again and again. "I'm one of the 3 strongest beings on the planet, Snizzi! You're just the absolute most PATHETIC and WORST parts of the being you imitate! You haven't got a-"

A VICIOUS backhand knocked her away as the Corrupted sniggered. "You're as stupidly cocky as your father." He told her, not realizing Daveigh had climbed onto a nearby tree. As she leapt through the air, she grabbed ahold of his head, tightly gripping his neck.

"I'm only going to ask you this once...GIVE UP!" She yelled.

"Oh Daveigh, you haven't got the strength to do it." The Corrupted said coldly, grabbing her and tossing her through the air as Darlene and Arlen peeked their heads out from behind another tree, Daveigh looking in their direction. "Oh my. Isn't this interesting?"

"Our parents." Darlene spoke quietly. "...they're gone. GONE." She growled.

Something was wrong with her. Something was happening to her and Arlen's bodies, what was-

Meanwhile, Green was facing down the Hellion as things sat around in the town, calmly looking at her, tar dribbling out from their mouths, eyes sunken in, flesh long decayed, bulbous and porous like rotten sponges, with a smell of rotten blood lingering in the air as they made room for Green to face the nurse that calmly sat on the edge of a rail, it's single eye behind it's obscured face mockingly gazing back at her.

"You killed them all, didn't you." Green spoke quietly. "...you murderous, disgusting..." She muttered, claws clenching tightly.

It then calmly raised one clawed hand to it's face, pushing away the hair...revealing a slightly large nose, green fur...a toothy smile...another eye, black with a green tint. The message all too clear as Green launched herself through the air, claws digging into the thing's arms.

She screamed and snarled, children had lost their parents, they would never, EVER get their mothers and fathers back. Your fault, your fault,

Sinking deeper and deeper into the tarry trap...blackness swallowing the two...

And then it was swallowing the one, yet the damn thing's face was still filled with victory as Green spat down at it from above. That same damn message all-too-clear on it's face.

_I didn't kill them._

Green turned to the Infected Ones, flame rising off her body as she grit her teeth, shedding a single tear before she launched herself forth with a scream.

_YOU did._

Darlene and Arlen had CHANGED before Daveigh's eyes, the Corrupted simply watching in interest as Daveigh nervously stepped back, the things that had been two young lovers advancing, reaching out for them. "What will you do now?" The Corrupted asked as Daveigh desperately kicked Darlene back, ducking to avoid Arlen and smacking him away. "They won't stop coming after you. They've lost their dream...their parents are gone, and you've shown up...they remembered, they've reverted. What will you do?"

"Stop it." Daveigh whispered, walking over to Darlene's fallen form as the thing tried to get up, Daveigh reaching down and grabbing ahold of a rock, raising it high as the Corrupted blinked in surprise.

KRAKA-THRUCK.

"I know what you're trying to do." She said. "But it won't work. This isn't me. And this..." Daveigh walked over to the fallen form of Arlen as he rushed at her, tarry mouth drizzling as he launched himself forward. She ducked to the side, tripping him and then grabbing the back of his shirt, holding him tightly to her chest as he gripped his neck in her arms. "This isn't Ashton. Now I know how Patricia felt when she looked at King fighting his other self. She can't ever forget that terrible monster, and he can't forget what he could have been. This world has POISONED my memories of Ashton, I am NEVER going to forget how terrible he and I could be. But it's not him..."

She tightened her grip, tears brimming in her green eyes as she quivered, her voice dropping in pitch. "It's not him..."

"Dav...eigh..." He managed to gurgle out.

**KRRRUCH**

"_Forgive me._" She whispered. "...forgive me..."

The Corrupted STARED at this, watching the thing that had been the worst of Ashton fading away to white as it stammered. "Y-you just...you...you really..."

And then it gasped, blood dribbling down it's chest as it saw the spike of chaos energy going through it's chest, Princess lowering her hand, a solemn look on her face. It turned around, looking at her, questioning "Why"...

And then it too died, fading into white as Uluru promptly SANK into the ground, the two watching as the rock became buried, thousands of demons and years of history fading into Australia's Earth as it went. It was if the outback itself wanted to forget everything that had come here, and was just trying to sweep everything under the rug.

Green made her way over to the others, the children walking alongside her. "We need to get these kids to social services." Green said quietly, wiping some tar and blood off her chest. "...I think we'll need a bigger jeep"

"And the people of Orpheus?" Princess asked, though she already knew the answer.

"They died." Green said stonily. "The spell those things cast killed them." She muttered as Daveigh knelt by one of the younger kids, patting her on the head.

Princess clucked her tongue...

But she said nothing.


	13. Blackened Heart

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"Sometimes I think the asylum is a head. We're inside a huge head that dreams us into being Perhaps it's YOUR head, Batman. Arkham is a looking glass. And we...are YOU." Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter _

12  
BLACKENED HEART

_My official designation is experiment 421. I was given the name "Heartwing". Given it to me by the greatest friend I've ever had. Somebody who I'll never forget. Somebody whom I can't forget._

_He pulled me back from the edge. I almost skirted the line, several times in my youth. But I was like a flower...I just needed tender care to fully bud, and once I had that care, I became something AMAZING._

_I was dragonkind. The World of the Major Arcana. Master of Light, a shining star, a Seraphim...and above all...I was so, so happy. I had children. I had friends, dear friends. I had so many cousins, and a brother who had finally, after so long, learned to be good. A beautiful home...a beautiful world...surrounded me._

_It was perfect. It was paradise._

_The problem though is that even if those within stay good and pure, it's always threatened by those without. We defeated threats like that time and time again, me and my friends in the Major Arcana. But as time went on, I began to notice we were questioning ourselves, and wondering...was this really the best we could be?_

_We wanted to be icons, to be inspirations, to be that hand that helps others up to the podium we stand on. We cast aside our pettiness, our cruelty, our ruthlessness, our foulness. We put them away on the afterburner for the sake of the universe._

_Well...like a disturbing piece of leftovers gone horribly wrong, the darn things got a life of their own, somehow...a world of their own, manifesting around them. And one of those things...something I got rid of so long ago...now has control of me._

_It kept whispering to me. It's name sounds like "Jabberwocky". And it told me terrible, terrible things. And it will make my body DO terrible, terrible things._

_I'm trapped in the dark now...nothing but my thoughts. And so, so scared._

_...someone...please..._

_Help me. Help them all._

_..._

_please..._

Ember looked at her pocketwatch, the "White Rabbit" pulling the cover to it open and glancing inside at a picture of a brown-haired citizen from Britain. "...do you think there's...one of him here?" Ember asked quietly of her boyfriend, the blue-furred bounty hunter nodding.

"Definitely." Frequency said in his usual laid-back voice, waving a paw in the air and using his other paw to sip some "Beachcomber Bud Lite" from a little hip flask he'd bought, with a tiny signature marked "From Pauly Shore with L-U-V" inscribed on the side. "Call it a hunch, beach bunny." He told his cutie-pie.

Meanwhile, the White King nervously sat at a table, twitching his leg, drinking from a glass of punch as Manifest sat nearby, rainbow eyes carefully scanning Legato as if waiting for the White King to show the slightest sign of insanity. "You want to go take a lie down, perhaps?" Manifest suggested as coolly and gently as possible.

"I'm fine. FINE." Legato snapped angrily as the White Queen's hand was gently grasped by the gloved hands of the Mad Hatter, who took off his enormous green hat, bowing deeply and letting white hair fall neatly down around his head. "...wish he'd keep his hands off my girl." Legato murmured under his breath, leaving the room as Kualili played on the nearby piano in the Mad Hatter's place, an instrumental version of an old theme song to a broadway musical that happened to be Merrily's favorite.

"My queen...I must ask." The Mad Hatter inquired of her as he kissed her hand. "Will you, won't you, will you, won't you...will you join the dance?" He crooned, lifting it up as she giggled slightly, the two waltzing to the center of the room, circling around and smiling at each other.

Manifest decided to secretly follow after Legato, carefully slinking through the shadows after the White King as the Mad Hatter reached into his hat, pulling out a large bouquet of flowers, all white roses, naturally, which he presented to the White Queen as the crowd in the ballroom all giggled and went "awwww" at this touching scene.

"How come she always smells like lilacs?" Frequency inquired, making Ember look in his direction, more than a hint of "What the F-u-c-k" passing over her face. "What? It's hard NOT for my nostrils to pick up, especially whenever she's close."

"I'm surprised THAT'S what you noticed about her." Coraline remarked as Oskar took the piano and began to play "In the Mood", everybody beginning to swing around the room with a partner, cheers echoing through the crowded ballroom.

"Her room's FILLED with them and she bathes in lilac-scented water, Red Princess." Kualili told Coraline as he folded his arms. "I bring the bath rocks in personally. Your friend Oskar gets some as a fringe benefit."

"...reaaaally?" Coraline mused, her eyes lighting up. "...say...you don't think maybe I could buy some off of y-"

Suddenly, there was a loud BANGING from the ground as the Mad Hatter and the White Queen looked down, eyes widening. Kualili jumped forward, immediately yelling out "Everybody, get away from the center of the room"...

Or rather, he had been ABOUT to when the center of the room EXPLODED upward, and something very, very twisted and very, very amused from it's pitiless, soft laughter flew up into the ballroom, it's wings stretched out, black claws calmly tapping against powerful arms. It's skin was pale, a sickly shade of greenish white that looked unnatural and faded, like a corpse's body brought to life. It came down to rest on the ballroom floor as the Mad Hatter shielded the White Queen, Kualili getting into a fighting position as it turned to gaze at him.

The thing's eyes...pupils of white slits in near-infinite blackness, lizard-like in appearance and with a disgusting mold of blood-covered rust spreading across its face from its eyes. It smiled in a twisted mockery of warmth with it's borrowed body, it's voice vaguely childlike, yet faint and echoey in tone as it looked over in Coraline's direction.

"You know...I've been going through my host's memories and he through mine. You're a naughty, NAUGHTY girl. But I like that. I LIKE that. So tell you what..."

It held up it's hands, bloody rust dripping off of them. "I'll kill you first. Spare you all that painful agonizing."

"Heartwing, fight this thing. Whatever it is." Ember insisted. "You're STRONGER than this."

"OH, you should hear him whining in here, he's bawling like a baby, begging me not to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt you." The thing said. "I'm going to KILL you. There's a difference. When you're dead, you ROT."

And with that, it launched itself at Coraline, it's mocking, childlike laughter ringing through the air.

...

...Melanie Jones, the Red Queen, loved the feel of the enormous ATV. There was something manly about driving a vehicle like this. Something rugged. Powerful. Of course, she was not the one doing the driving.

"What's your name?" Ashton inquired, sitting in the backseat of the ATV with King and Junior, the small youth driving the car flicking his sweet, soft eyes up at them for an instant in the rear-view mirror and then over at his queen, who nodded.

"You may give your name, your rank, your file number." She said in an amused tone as the wind rippled through her hair as they made their way to King Erick von Hayden-Muir's castle estate.

"...I am Jess, sir." The youth said. His voice was subdued, quiet. His face bore the unmistakable sad light of one who had seen much suffering, and his eyes, like the surface of a pond, a swirling, sweet blend of green and blue, were almost dull and lacking all light. "I am milady' Coraline's whipping boy and attend to her every errand."

"...whipping...boy?" Junior asked, eyes widening. "...please tell me this is some kind of jest." He inquired of the Red Queen.

"It is cultural tradition for Yurp's royal family to have a king, a queen, at least a prince or princess, a royal waiter, royal chef...and yes, a royal whipping boy." The Red Queen informed the half-Muridean, half Experimental American being, as he gazed at the one that looked so much like his friend, the sweet choir boy back home.

He didn't say anything, he had a feeling no argument would convince this woman that a whipping boy was wrong. He just kept his anger bottled and leaned back, arms folded across his chest as King looked up into the sky, tasting the air.

Something was off...there was a faint, staticky taste lingering in the sky...what was going on? Why was the sky, which had been so bright before, now getting darker the closer they got to Hayden-Muir's castle?

Eventually Jess stopped at a fork in the road, one leading into the nearby town, the other indicating which way Erick von Hayden-Muir's castle was. Turning the wheel, he momentarily glanced back at his queen, who nodded again. "We are...soon to arrive at the castle, but the last leg is rather challenging. It is a bumpy ride. We must be wary."

"You really can't speak unless you ask for permission?"

Jess nervously chewed his lip and looked back over at the queen, who nodded again. "I cannot do ANYTHING without permission from the queen, sir. Luckily, whenever I am away from her, I have a communication device installed within my upper molar that allows me to speak with her and for her to instruct me."

"...I see...you're quite the loyal servant, then...a good page to the Queen." Junior murmured softly.

Meanwhile, Manifest had made his way through the long hallways of the White King and Queen's castle, past painting after painting, all trying to follow Legato, who seemed intent on reaching his art studio, the galleria of the White King and Queen. Soon the rug beneath his feet was turning pockmarked with specks of paint, a sure sign he was getting closer.

He hung back in the corner of the hallway, watching Legato go inside, and waiting...waiting. He chewed his lip...what was the White King doing inside, Manifest mused to himself. He was tempted to just go in and confront him, but something suggested to him that he hang back. After a few minutes and some sounds of effort being exerted from within, Legato left, heading down another hallway. Tiptoeing down to the door to the galleria, Manifest waited for Legato to be far away enough, then slipped inside.

_Ho-ly-hell,_ he thought to himself, eyes widening like saucers at the sight.

The walls were still covered all over with hundreds of blotches of paint, but now there were chunks of plaster and benches embedded deeply in the walls, canvases scratched and torn to pieces, and the large sculptures of light energy that Heartwing had made, which had born a semblance to Legato's wife, were now...well...decapitated.

The light suddenly flicked off, as Manifest whirled around, seeing Legato in his toga'd attire, only now...he was changing. His skin was becoming the color of marble, his halo had sunken into his face around his eyes, blood dribbling down past his cheeks as he gripped his immense hammer, hands resting on the bottom of its long handle. He leered at Manifest. "Do you like my work?" he sneered.

"You've lost it."Manifest reasoned. "You've got bats—t insane. I knew it." He sighed. "Catching me was the last straw...once you had me and once everyone in the kingdom was cured, you didn't need to hold onto hope anymore...you just gave in." He clenched his fists tightly. "I should have given you a quick end when you were still sane. Better to die a good man than live as a bad one..."

"You don't like my new sculptures? I'm disappointed. I thought you were a man of taste." The Blind Judge explained, shrugging slightly as bony wings stretched out from behind him, his mockery of an avenging angel. "You see, a woman's body...is a **wonderful** thing..."

He grinned. "**BUT THE HEAD IS _USELESS_! ****HAHAHAHAHAHA!**" He threw back his head, laughing, and Manifest quickly leapt through the air, kicking him down and leaping off his chest, rushing through the hallway. He had to lead him somewhere where he couldn't hurt the others...

The basement. It had a dozen strange rooms, that big library, the Mad Hatter's living quarters. FAR away from the ballroom. He raced down the stairs, rushing across the main hall for the steps to the basement, the Blind Judge following after.

"You are accused of murder!" It shouted out, slamming it's hammer into the walls as it descended the stairs after Manifest. "Mayhem! Manslaughter! How do you plead?!"

"Insane! It's working so well for you!" Manifest yelled back, diving down the steps and landing at the beginning of another long, labrynthine hallway, racing down it as the Blind Judge followed after, scowling. "

"I hold in **contempt of court.**" The Blind Judge growled coldly, raising his hammer high, slamming it into the floor below as a pillar of fire rose from the cracks, racing towards Manifest, seeking to broil him alive. He quickly dove into a nearby doorway, barely dodging the oncoming flames as the Blind Judge frowned darkly. "...hmph." He mumbled, following after his quarry, heading inside of a large, vaguely-surreal room.

This was obviously the Mad Hatter's living quarters. There were dozens of pictures of Alice, the Caterpillar, the Rabbit, all hand-painted with...well, FINGERPAINTS, from the looks of it. There were handprints on the floor that led to various closets, bureaus and desks, and a large bed to the far right by a hat rack with, what a surprise, dozens of the same kind of hat littered at the top. From above hung large constructions made by the Hatter in HIS spare time...one looked like the White Queen, the other was of Alice sipping tea...

In fact, there was one of Alice in Wonderland, the book itself, opened up to the scene where Alice first met the Mad Hatter...and guess what? The Blind Judge just happened to be directly under it.

Manifest, leaning on a hanging light fixture nearby, had grabbed ahold of a sculpture of a White Pawn's sword and held it up in the air, swinging it at the tome above the Blind Judge's head, aiming for the thick rope holding it up. "You're a judge, you can appreciate this joke: I think it's time someone threw the book at you."

CLA-CLONK!

The Blind Judge hit the ground, trapped by the book as Manifest dusted his hands off. He was tempted to kill him now, but Manifest felt it was only fair that the White Queen knew what had happened.

Then a scream pierced the air and Manifest's eyes widened anew. Coraline's voice. Oh no. What could it be? WHO could it be?

...

...truth be told, 'what' was probably a better description than "who", for the thing that was determined to cut out our protagonist's throats and eat their dripping hearts was becoming so bestial in his slaughtering of the guests as they raced out of the ballroom to safety that it was very difficult to consider him anything but a "thing". Kualili, grapping with it and it's blood-stained claws, would have called it a "monster", but that would have been offensive to his own species.

"Ooh, lookit you, all snarling and hissing in your big boy pants." The Jabberwocky remarked, finally managing to toss Kualili through the air, embedding him deep in the wall as he stepped over several dozen dead bodies, making his way towards Coraline as Ember held up a paw, getting into a Tiger Kung Fu fighting stance, Frequency already escorting the White Queen and the Red Princess to safety, Oskar following close behind. "And now we have a big girl trying to stop me. Whatcha gonna do, use your kung-fu grip?" The Jabberwocky laughed, belching out a blaze of black fire.

Ember twirled her paws around, capturing the flurry of black flame, absorbing it into her body and launching an orange, glowing fist squarely at the Jabberwocky, smacking it squarely in the face, sending it reeling back as the ballroom became deserted, save for them. It giggled darkly. "Do you know why you really can't beat me?...you're VULNERABLE." He laughed, belching a blaze of black flame at Frequency, who had tried to sneak up behind the thing, butterfly knife held high.

"**NO**!" She yelled, leaping through the air over the black flame, shoving her boyfriend to the ground, the fire passing over their heads as the Jabberwocky raced outside, following after Coraline and Oskar, who had hung back to see if the thing would have been beaten. They were regretting this now.

"I feel bad, you weren't the first person I killed. I'll have to make this up to you by making sure you and your honey-bunny die together." The thing admitted calmly, claws outstretched as it dove at them.

THWAMP! Frequency kicked him into the ground, punching him in the face and stepping back, raising a paw up. "RUN!" He yelled at Coraline and Oskar, twirling his butterfly knife as the Jabberwocky spat some blood out onto the ground, the White Queen running towards the Jabberwocky as well, holding her rapier ready as she stood by Frequency.

"Well-well. Two on one?"

"THREE." Ember growled, stepping out of the ballroom, the moonlight making her pale white fur glow as she pocketed her tiny glasses.

"FOUR." Kualili added, slamming his fist into his palm, growling darkly.

"Four on one? You should have brought MORE." The Jabberwocky laughed, bloody rust sloughing off his clawed hands as he launched waves of the foul energy at them all, the foursome diving and dodging around in the flower beds, the flowers being sloughed away like acid as the demonic dragon laughed in that childlike, chilling voice.

Kualili grabbed a chunk of Earth, holding it over his head and launching it at the thing, but it jumped up through the air like an Olympic diver doing a dive in reverse. The White Queen saw the thrown earth racing towards her and chopped it in half with her rapier, the two pieces harmlessly passing by her as she raced at the thing with Frequency, the two of them slicing and slashing at the dragon.

Kualili raced towards the dragon again, grabbing the thing's tail...big mistake. It turned out to be stronger than he thought, and whipped him through the air towards the castle. He was sent crashing through a window, groaning deeply as he pulled himself up, finding himself in the middle of...the Mad Hatter's place?

"Everybody DOWN!" The Mad Hatter yelled, leaping through the air, hat held high as he SLAMMED it down onto the demonic dragon...and it VANISHED into the cap. The Hatter let out a deep sigh, wiping his brow before he picked the hat up from the ground, dusting himself off. "We have a few minutes. I hope somebody else has a miracle in store, because frankly...that was mine, and I'm out of ideas, alas."

"What do you mean?" Frequency inquired, scratching his head in confusion.

"I teleported him to...one of those many rooms that have the "death traps" in them." The Mad Hatter said, as the Jabberwocky found himself strapped tightly into a chair that was vaguely like one you'd find in a dentist's office, a drill aimed squarely for his stolen head. "He's in the drill trap and...he's gonna be out of there any minute now."

"Huh? But I've SEEN that thing, it'll burrow right into Heartwing's head...wait, that won't KILL him, cutting his head off and stuff doesn't ever work." Frequency realized, groaning and slapping his forehead.

"That's not it." The Mad Hatter sighed.

"Then what IS it?" Oskar wanted to know. "Will he break out?"

"Sure...probably...once he figures out the drill head is CARDBOARD." The Mad Hatter muttered, folding his arms as the Jabberwocky sniggered, bursting into uncontrollable laughter in his chair.

"...CARDBOARD?" Oskar asked, the White Queen rushing back inside.

"Wait, but those death traps I've seen whilst touring the place..." Ember spoke up, confusion falling over her lapine features.

"It's all FAKE, I did most of them with _theater props!_" The Mad Hatter insisted. "Paint, cardboard, papier-mâché sculptures, the works. I just like spooking people, it's a **laugh**!"

KRUCHA-CRAAAASH!

Manifest hadn't made it to the ballroom in time. The Jabberwocky pinned him to the ground, laughing coldly as it's black claws dug into him, decayed rust spreading over his body. "You know...Lewis Carol wrote the book "Alice in Wonderland" in response to the spread of academia and the strange new math concepts he saw popping up. "Imaginary numbers", "square roots"...all of Wonderland was based on stupid postmodern algebra...how ironic, wouldn't you say?"

Manifest grunted angrily as the Jabberwocky leered. "Just like "Alice", little Merrily was just trying desperately to keep herself sane and tempered, lost in a "Wonderland" with inhabitants that were just as barking mad anybody in the fairy tale. She figured out quickly what she really was the same way the other leaders did, and clung to Lewis's attempt at sanity to keep her own. Beautifully ironic, isn't it? Everything was drawn to her, the sole figure of logic, but the poor dear was trying to find logic in a world of madness...it's not that different from looking for darkness with a torch. Can't...be...done." The Jabberwocky whispered, leaning in closer and closer, eyes a-blazing.

CRA-CRONK! A good, sharp kick knocked it through the air as the White Queen held her rapier up. "If I go down..." She whispered, her voice beginning to crack, blood dribbling out of her mouth as her eyes became pale and slit. "I'll take you with me." She insisted.

"You too." Manifest murmured sadly, a mournful look coming over his face. "...Merrily, it's Legato, he...he's changed...and now you're going the same way..."

"Wh-what?" Merrily turned to look over at Manifest, eyes widening, her form slowly returning back to "normal". The Hand of God's eyes widened at this, his mind racing furiously. Of course...of COURSE, her love for him, that was her "hope" above all else, and if he was still alive, then...

**SPLORCH**

Merrily coughed out some blood, pupils turning to pinpricks as she grabbed at her throat. The Jabberwocky had SPIT something into her and was now calmly watching, Manifest leaning down by her, shaking her body, glaring over at the Jabberwocky. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"

"I'm just going to stand here and watch her die." He said. "I'm in no hurry."

"YOU F-KING-" Manifest screeched, diving at the thing, eyes brimming with tears, hoping to snap the thing's head clean off-

He was knocked clear through a wall as the Jabberwocky calmly sat down near the White Queen, one clawed hand caressing her cheek. "Theeeere, theeeeere. Let it come naturally..." He whispered. "That's it...it'll all be over soon. I'd stay here, believe me, I like to watch, but I think it's only fair I send you off with your friends as company."

"Why are you doing this?" Merrily managed to cough out as it stood up and walked away, momentarily stopping to turn back and smile wistfully at her.

"...do I NEED a reason?"

...

...Zachary Archimedes Cadence Kendall peeked his head into the enormous halls of the church as Darithil, the Hierophant of the Irken Empire and Major Arcana, was going through his holy texts. It seemed though that the Apocrypha had no answers...he kept flipping back and forth with his clawed hand, mumbling and grumbling incomprehensibly, his claws feeling the braile of the text...

Nothing, nothing, nothing,**NOTHING**-

"No, no, NO, NO, **NO!**" he yelled, sweeping his arm across the desk, knocking the book away and angrily slamming his fists down onto it over again. "DAMN IT! GOD! DAMN! IT!" He yelled, striking again and again until...

Zack gently touched his shoulder and he stopped, the blind Irken turning around, panting as he looked at the Logosian with unseeing eyes. But he could hear Zack's thoughts easily.

"...why are you here? I thought you weren't a believer." The Irken asked calmly, his voice hoarse from shouting.

Zack's thoughts were clear as day. _I'm not._

"Yet here you are. I imagine you already spoke with Page? He is still leading a group prayer at the church, and Staccato is appealing to the Lord anew for help. I...I can't do anything. There's...nobody of my species who can help." Darth muttered, making his way over to a nearby pew, sitting down. He'd walked through this church so, so many times...he knew everything back to front, it was no stranger to him, but this? This scenario was new. New and frightening.

And he...HE was scared. Terrified.

"...I don't know what to do. I've prayed, but...I've gotten no insight." He admitted. "...it took me YEARS to develop the faith I have. DECADES. And I'm...I'm proud of who I am. What I represent. And yet despite everything I can do...everyone who I know...there's nothing that can be done for the poor souls that have been taken from our family."

Zack took the Irken's hand, patting it softly as Darth looked down at them as best he could. "...I fear for them...so...so much. I'd ask you to join me in prayer, but you don't have any religious affiliation. Why is that? You've met Staccato, Shin, Snizzi, Vassago...seen ghosts and goblins...and your IQ is amazingly high..."

_Third smartest on my planet. Besides, the forms of those beings you speak of could be manifestations of a unique energy. What you call a soul could be such an energy that could quantify as a telepathic discharge upon death. But I do have faith, you know._ Zack's thoughts told him as he smiled to himself.

"Oh?"

Zack smiled to himself, dark blue eyes twinkling as he reached into his wallet, pulling out a photograph of him standing by Heartwing as he signed the little guy's leg cast after an accident. _I have faith in my friends._

...

...Manifest dug himself out of the wall, gasping and panting as he clutched his head, moaning in pain. Where was...

Oh no. OH NO.

Most people don't know this, because most people haven't been around it enough...but blood has an odor. Not a strong one. But it's there. And he knew the smell. And by now it was so strong that it meant that a lot of blood had pooled up inside of her, cutting off her air supply...

Too much for anyone to survive.

...too much...

And he...was too late.

The White Queen was dead...

"And you're NEXT." The Jabberwocky said calmly, claws digging into Coraline's face, the others strewn across the ballroom, unconscious or badly injured as she felt the bloody rust spread like dark fire over her face. "Be a dear and do say "hi" to Merrily for me, won't you?" It asked, the Jabberwocky's laughter ringing through the ballroom like the tolling of a cracked bell.

Manifest held her body in his arms as the tears began to come, unaware that the power of a recently-deceased group of beings was rushing towards him even now, attracted to him like he was a giant magnet and they were scrap iron. Green, Daveigh and Princess had done their job well...

But he screamed not in joy as the power flooded through him. Because she was gone. The White Queen was already dead...and her spirit had passed on. There was nothing to bring back...

...he rose up high, tearing through the walls, his roar like a bestial animal as the Jabberwocky turned in time to see Manifest holding up a fist.

CRA-CRATCHA!

Coraline dropped to the ground, panting heavily as Manifest held up his hands over the Jabberwocky, eyes blazing.

"I'm putting you somewhere where you won't be able to hurt anyone else." He snarled.

"You wouldn't." The Jabberwocky laughed. "You'd murder this poor host body."

"No...I wouldn't." Manifest growled, his hands aglow as he PLUNGED them into Heartwing's chest, the pale, deadened skin stripping away as the borrowed body screamed and screamed, a spectral image lingering in the air as Manifest balefully glared, releasing the tired dragon and grabbing ahold of the spirit, his face like stone.

Redirection. Moving a spirit from one place to another. And now it was time to move him again.

"**_We need him crucified...it's all you have to do... we need him crucified, IT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO DO!_** Manifest roared out, the wind rippling around him as the others reeled away, the spirit in his grip screaming and howling and then-

He was gone. The Mad Hatter helped the dazed Heartwing back up as Ember and Frequency stood together, Oskar kneeling by the wheezing and coughing Coraline's side. The Red Princess seemed to be alright, as did the little dragon...

"Where's that...thing gone to?" The Red Princess finally managed to get out.

"...I sent it away." Manifest said in a dead voice, turning away from them. "...we need to find Kualili and the White King. **Now.**"

...

...far, far away, the thing growled as it gazed out over the Dragon's Graveyard, ignoring the faint, sad weeping in the distance. Far, far away it smiled pitilessly.

"As I believe you yourself once said...I've been in worse places than this..._AND I'VE GOTTEN OUT._" The Jabberwocky chuckled.


	14. Altered Frequency

REVERSAL  
-

_"__**What?**__ Boys can't cry? Right now I'm ALLOWED to! I had everything I wanted right in front of me. And then I gave it away! I gave it away to help all of YOU! No one __**ever**__ said "Thank You". No one __**ever**__ said "We're sorry"...__no one__..." Clark Kent, aka, Superboy Prime of Earth Prime _

13  
ALTERED FREQUENCY

Heartwing raised a silver-tipped hand to his chest, blinking slowly as his pupils dilated in and out. Slowly he rose up, his mouth opening in a horrified expression as he realized what had occurred.

The White Queen was dead because of the Jabberwocky. And...in a sense...because of him.

And he RAN into the palace, screaming her name as the others looked on in surprise, hearing him crying out as a burst of white light shot out from the inside of the palace. "Half my heart to keep you whole, my strength to purify your weakness!"

"Oh no." Ember hesitated, glancing over in Frequency's direction only to find him gone. She raced inside, hearing Heartwing screaming out again. Another flare of light illuminated the dark palace...

**"Half my heart to keep you whole, my strength to purify your weakness!" **

The others followed in, one after another, watching sadly as Heartwing tried in vain to pump a bursting, pulsing heart-shaped glow into Merrily's chest...but she refused to rise, the glow dissipating in his hands. Tears streaking down his face, he tried again, ripping into his chest, tugging out a new luminescence.

**"HALF MY HEART TO KEEP YOU WHOLE, MY STRENGTH TO PURIFY YOUR WEAKNESS!" **

"Heartwing." Manifest spoke quietly, putting a hand on Heartwing's shoulder as the draconic experiment turned to gaze up at the white-haired human. "...her spirit's gone. She crossed over. You can't bring back someone at peace."

Experiment 421, pillar of Light, World of the Major Arcana, sniffled slightly as his eyes watered.

"You can't save everyone." Manifest insisted.

"...then WHAT...is the **POINT** of me?!" Heartwing rasped out, clasping Merrily's body to his chest as he shook his head back and forth, the sobs making his body shiver.

Elsewhere, the White King panted heavily, dragging himself down the hallway and staggering out the front door, one hand flying out to halt his fall. This proved to be in vain, he hit the ground like a rotten fruit and let out a slight moan as he struggled to stand.

"Merrily was kind." Kualili's voice rang out.

Legato looked up from the ground at the sight of the White Knight, who had put his armor away and was calmly putting his hands in a pair of tie-dyed pants. He looked almost...naked. And his eyes...he wasn't there, not really. He was lost in the past, a faint, mournful nostalgic expression flickering across his face.

"Vladmir, he...he fed me scraps he snuck in his jacket up from dinner. Got a taste for fine food from him." The white-furred Experimental American chuckled, one hand held over his mouth. "Six months living in secret in his room...Merrily couldn't take his place in my heart, but she made her own when Vladmir brought me to her. She was so kind. Took me in...trained me...made me her knight. So...so kind. I would have done anything for her. And she's gone because you brought Manifest in."

He glared balefully at the White King now, his claws twitching. "You were only staying good because you wanted to cure your people and catch Manifest. The moment both goals were accomplished, you changed. And you were going to kill her, even if that thing from earlier hadn't. I don't blame the child. He can't control what his worse side did. I blame you."

He then coldly grinned, carefully approaching as he spread his arms wide. "Tell me...do you know how my clan works?"

The White King gulped slightly. "I know you...tend to-to work for...work for others as servants."

"Oh yes. It's how we get along." Kualili said, as the White King watched pieces of the Experimental American's face begin to chip off like old drywall. "We find homes...families. Sometimes we stay servants forever. Other times we're allowed into their families...or to make them our mates. And occasionally..."

The scales fell away, the veil now parted as the White King beheld a horror that reached out to ensnare him, a slit set of pupils widening as a maw opened impossibly wide.

"**OcaSsIoNaLly wE'rE aLlOwEd To EaT tHeM.**"

He died without a sound.

...

...Zerinim Two looked down at his hands, his black gloves removed as he chewed his lip, glancing over in Joren's direction. His golden/amber eyes were now giving off the faintest glow, a glow that was slightly emanating from the blood sample he'd given from his hand in the enormous laboratory of the powerful Muridean supervillain-turned-on/off ally of the Major Arcana. "...I'm dying...aren't I?" He murmured out. "...Miyu...Azazel...Frequency...are they dying too?"

"The world your spirit took form from has been gone for some time, and now there's little left to tether you to reality with it gone and...and with your mother dying." Joren informed him as an Irken female stood nearby, arms folded as she chewed her lip.

"She got me KILLED." She muttered balefully, purple eyes turned to slits, none of them noticing the form hiding away in the catwalk above. "I ought to let her rot, but...this is the only way I can turn back to being a physical being and not just a spirit."

"Soon our Black Balloon won't even be that..." Joren mused as he examined the blood sample he'd taken from the still-lying form of the female Experimental American being in the sick ward they were standing in. "She's almost totally gone. Her vital signs are almost totally unregistered. Frequency shall be the least affected...his parents are not dead or dying like Azazel's is, and he hasn't lost the tether to reality the way you and Miyu have. Still, I doubt he's unaware of what's occurring-"

"Neither was _I!_" A voice rang out.

KRAKKA-THROOOOM! Joren was SLAMMED into the ground as Tak and Two leapt away, a dark-haired, crimson-furred Experimental American digging pointed nails into Joren's light brown chest as her pointed, devilish tail lashed back and forth, the vaguely demonic-looking experiment 593, Heatwave, glaring balefully down at him.

"Why did Heartwing come to you!? I KNOW that's the real reason he went to see Izzy's invention, the REAL reason he got sucked into that other world! I'm not stupid, I noticed he kept sneaking to your lab! Why did he come to you!?" She growled out, black eyes blazing with golden pupils brightly lit.

"I'm...WILLING to answer b-but it would b-be more e-expedient if-if you got off my CHEST!" He gasped out, hacking as Heatwave growled, stepping off of him and dusting her white, tight-fitting sleeveless t-shirt off. "He...he asked me for a way to bring back human beings who had died." He gasped out, clutching his chest. "Those that have lost their spirits as well as their bodies. But there was no DNA in my possession and his memories alone would have only brought back a COPY, not the true him."

"Who was he trying to bring back?" Heatwave snapped, pointing squarely at Joren.

"I don't know!" The Muridean insisted, waving a three-digited paw in the air, his wings clinging closely to his body. "I've never heard of this "Nick" in my entire life!"

...

...the placed-among-the-heather castle of Erick von Hayden-Muir was unmistakably Scottish. Flags flying proudly above the ramparts, every stone in the walls carefully polished, a proud state of the monarch and his family in dramatic, heroic poses by the front gate...a moat.

Good Lord, he had a moat. With a drawbridge that lowered over it to let them all inside of an enormous tree-filled courtyard. Apples, pears and cherry trees were lining all through the courtyard with, most noticeably of all, a wading pool in the center, calm and still. Erick nodded firmly at them all as they stepped out of the ATV, blond hair fluttering in the wind as his daughter stood nearby, hands clasped behind her back as Esther calmly smiled at the others.

"Good to see you. Milady." He intoned, nodding firmly at the Red Queen. "Shall I order some drinks for you all?"

"Yes. Give me a fifty year-old scotch."

Esther giggled slightly as they glanced in her direction, King rubbing his chin. "What, pray tell, is so funny?"

"Oh, I...I just thought of this joke." She giggled. "This guy in a bar asks for a fifty year old scotch, and the bartender gives him a forty-year-old scotch. So then he asks for a twelve-year-old bourbon, and he gets a ten-year-old bourbon. Then an old man sitting nearby asks him to drink something."

"And?" Junior asked, Ashton sniggering amdly, realizing what the joke was.

"He drinks it and spits it out. "What is this?" He cries. "This is human urine!" "Right!" the old man says. "Now tell me how old **I** am."

Junior bawled with laughter as King rolled his eyes, letting out a long, deep, "ugggggh" as the Red Queen let out a momentary snorting chuckle, Jess's tongue titillating slightly. Erick, however, just moaned, evidently he didn't care for bathroom humor, no matter how fancy it was dressed up.

"Excuse my daughter." Erick insisted as they headed inside of the castle, through an entrance hall and down a hallway towards the enormous dining region of his home. "I keep telling her to stop listening to NPR. It's rotting her brain."

"I believe the phrase here is "nice digs"." King mused as they glanced around the dining hall. It had been built, from the looks of things, to simulate the experience of being in a Viking beer hall, with enormous alcohol-holding wooden circular crates, long wooden tables and stools, and the family crest proudly displayed on many a banner that hung on the stony walls. "Quite lovely. Shades of Valhalla, dare I say?"

"BEEN to Valhalla?" Erick mused, one eyebrow held high, dark brown/red eyes widened in interest. "I have, in my dreams. It's where I got the inspiration for the fine structure you see before you, or, as you put it, "the nice digs"."

He clapped his hands. "The Red Queen and I have business to discuss. Please, please! Sit! Relax! As the Italians say, _mangia, mangia_!" He laughed out, spreading his arms wide as he and Melanie exited the room, chefs walking in, silver-trayed food items being brought in as Jess nervously stood in place, the others finding an area to sit.

"You aren't going to sit down?" Esther inquired, looking over at the page as he humbly chewed his lip.

"My mistress has not given me permission." He informed her.

"The minute you stepped into my castle, you became my guest, and my father's guest. And this goes for all of you." Esther said firmly, snapping her fingers as Jess whisked himself over to her side. "So PLANT IT. And start eating! **NOM-NOM-NOM**. As in, NOW."

"What, pray tell, is your father showing down there?" King inquired as he chewed away on a piece of bread and cheese, sipping some carrot juice from a glass.

"Ah, one of his favorite magics."

"...ugh." Jess sighed, shaking his head back and forth.

"I sense a nonbeliever in our midst." Junior chuckled. "You don't believe in it after seeing people like "B" or Manifest at work?"

"Magic defies physics. What you suggest is...this is unbelievable!" Jess insisted, holding his arms out at them. "I can believe that alien beings have psychokinetic powers or that a unique energy that imparts the body upon death could be considered a "soul", but pure "magic" is ridiculous to me and to many in the house of Yurp. What you're asking me to believe is..." He shook his head back and forth, groaning.

"Why does magic bother you so much?" Esther wanted to know, a confused expression on her soft face.

"Because believing in that sort of thing isn't smart, or healthy good for society. The real world isn't based on magic and superstition. It's rational." The page told the others as he smacked his fist into his palm with a soft "thump".

"Maybe you just believe that because all your mind is good for is thinking, and if the world around you isn't logical, you're lost." Esther suggested.

Jess blinked slowly, scratching his head. "...well...I...er..."

"If the world was totally rational...I wouldn't have become a psychiatrist." King said gently. "There's nothing wrong with admitting that you're not equipped to understand something."

"It's not his fault. This world's much different from our own." Junior spoke up, patting Jess on the shoulder. "Would you like us to tell you some stories about where we're from? A world of free magic?"

"...well...can you TRY and explain how it works?" Jess wanted to know.

"Sure. Take elemental magic. It's like tapping into a neighbor's internet from your car and using it to go and Google hot Asian teens."

"Really? It's like that?"

"No it's not, but if that explanation makes you feel any closer to the truth, go ahead and believe it."

Meanwhile, Erick calmly hummed to himself as he and Melanie strode down a set of stairs, descending into the basement as he held a torch high to light the way. "So then I informed the Reichstag that "Yes, if the queen feels the need to torture little children, she's within her rights provided she brings it before her congress". Unlike "him", I'd always ask."

"Good for you. Not too many governments would put stock in any kind of parliamentary checks and balances, not with the way the world is now."

"Yes, I suppose. Coraline would do away with it if she ever obtained my throne...OH how she wants my throne...but I must say, you seem awfully...CONFIDENT today." She informed him. "You've always been confident, but today, it's practically rolling off you like sweat! Why IS that?"

"Do you know how long I practiced to gain the skills at the blade I have today?" He inquired of Melanie as they slowly got closer and closer to the basement, a circular room opening up before them. The light from his torch barely gave any sign of what was inside, so he held it up to an area on the wall. In an instant, a series of torches began to light up from that newly-lit flame, spreading around the room. "YEARS. A CENTURY."

Now before her eyes she saw it...a series of mirrors, all situated in a circle with a strange kind of pentagram in the middle. Plain, ordinary-looking mirrors...in a not-so-ordinary basement.

"Light can reflect off a mirror. Sound can be reflected off of surfaces. Imagine...if you could reflect time." He whispered. "Reflect it, bounce if off over and over, stretch it out, make it virtually nonexistent. A frozen point in time...that's what got me the skills I have. Years of practice here in this basement which seemed like only some hours to my family." He gestured at the mirrors, beaming happily. "And...I'm the only one in possession of the secret, and am willing to impart the secret, give the necessary spells to you...in exchange for certain...favors. The ones regarding Africa, and...what you tried to cover up."

The Red Queen hesitated. This was so, SO tempting. Years of time to spend, never getting older, free to do whatever she wished? She could be relaxing for days in a private Heaven when it would seem only minutes to others. Or spend time training the way Erick had...finally catch up on all that abysmal paperwork...

But then again...what he was asking for was incredibly degrading to her country's honor. To her own integrity. It would mean freely admitting her most egregious faults, and essentially...she'd be begging. Begging in BABY-TALK.

...but it was such an opportunity. What if she could duplicate it? What if...

What if she could spread the magic, have it encompass her whole country? Weeks could pass on the outside whilst decades went by within, and by a single year's time, Yurp would emerge from it's shell eons ahead of any other nation. If she could know this secret...if she could manipulate the spell behind it, get it to work just right, this would be infinitely-

An idea popped into her head and she turned to him. "Hold on a moment. You say it worked on you. How do I know it doesn't work for ONLY you? What if it's harmful to children, or pregnant women or whatnot?" The last thing she wanted was for her people to start exploding or something due to some unknown radiation the magic gave off or whatnot. Was not the saying "be careful what you wish for"?

"You needn't worry. I thoroughly tested it." Erick insisted, waving a dismissive hand in the air.

Unbeknownst to them both, a blue-furred form was watching them from within the walls formed by Erick's thought patterns, paw digits digging into his palm as he drew blood from the sheer force, yellow eyes ablaze.

"Oh yes. You tested it alright. **YOU TESTED IT...**" He hissed.

...

... back at the White Queen's palace, Heartwing was digging his fingers into the ground, concentrating as a crystalline coffin of light energy encased Merrily, and he lifted it up, carrying it gingerly to the flower field where she would be buried as the inhabitants of Carolina watched in sorrow. The White Knight stood nearby, keeping his mouth firmly closed as he licked the last pieces of flesh off from inside his maw, arms folded neatly as he bowed his head.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Coraline managed to mumble out. "It should have been me?" She offered.

"Yes. It SHOULD have." He growled at her as Oskar put his hand on the Red Princess's shoulder, pulling her back as Ember spoke clearly, reading from a Bible Manifest played a sad song on the piano.

"Ashes to ashes...dust to dust. But to everything there is a season.." She began to say before hesitating. "...oh. I...I am unsure what to say. I can't even begin to tell all of you how deeply we're all hurt. And I don't think any words need to be said. Not this time."

She shook her head back and forth. "No, not this time."

Heartwing lowered the crystalline coffin into the ground as they began to pile dirt over it, and he hung his head, chewing his lip as Manifest continued to play the mournful melody, the sorrow of thousands conveyed in a few simple chords. Magic music was the epitome of power, the Sacred Skill for a simple reason: it represented ideals. Ideals made into reality. This was what most music stood for: ideals of love or loss or friendship or just living. And now, in this case...it was mourning, pure sorrow, and words would have only desecrated this sacrosanct moment.

From far away, sitting in a tree some distance from the funeral, Josef hung his head in shame, shame that he had run at the first sign of trouble. A cloaked being stood near him, it's masked face sending soft red rays from it's "eye and mouth slits" as Josef wiped his eyes on his jacket collar.

"I should have been there. She was so nice." He murmured. "...she was a good, good friend to me. She might have been my best friend."

"...does it ever go away?" He asked B.

"...I wish I could say it does." The usually-silent being spoke, it's childlike voice low and mournful as the glow faded and it hung it's head ever-so-slightly. "But I can tell you that in time, it does get BETTER."

"...who's going to protect my people and Carolina now that she's gone? What's stopping Yurp from expanding?" Josef mumbled. "...where is that idiot Legato? How could he let his wife-"

"Legato's dead as well." B said stonily, Josef gasping in surprise. "...we need to go to Erick. IMMEDIATELY."

B spread his arms wide as a shimmering portal opened up before them. It would take them to-

VWOOMP. It promptly closed up, making B blink in surprise. "What in?"

"That's not supposed to happen, is it?"

"...somebody's cut off all magical routes to Erick's home." B growled out. "How? Who could have such a control over his palace? Over his mind?"

"The Caterpillar?"

"The Caterpillar's still in Japan, he's going to send his condolences here." B reasoned. "...oh no." His eyes behind the mask went wide. "Frequency. He's not waiting anymore..."

Back at Erick's palace, the lights in the building went out as everyone let out a simultaneous shriek of surprise. There came an enormous sound of KRUCTHA-KLUNK as the doors in the dining hall all simultaneously locked, and Jess immediately clung to Esther in fear. "GAH! Who turned out the lights?"

"Hello, everyone." Frequency's voice rang out from a tiny TV screen that hovered in the air above them all, a calm smile on his face, looking like a cat that had just swallowed the canary. "I need you all out of the way at the moment. So if you could just stay here, in the Dining Hall?"

"Like heck we will." Junior insisted.

"Oh, "heck". You almost said a dirty word." Frequency chuckled. "That's cute. But I need you all out of the way so I can deal with Erick. Don't worry Esther...you'll live, despite what daddy dearest might end up believing in the end...I just want him to understandin' what it's like when someone puts you through a bad day that lasts FOREVER...a bad day that takes everything that made you YOU from you away."

"He has nothing to do with this!" Esther screamed back at Frequency, who's eyes became cold stones.

"_Neither did I._"

With that, the screen turned off, leaving them alone in the dark...with Erick waking up find he and the Red Queen suddenly trapped in an empty pool, the Red Queen sitting in a simple folding chair tied down with ordinary ropes, and Erick tied down in chains to a big comfy couch.

"Hello, Erick. Don't bother trying to break free. I've TOTALLY stripped your body free of any hidden weaponry...and the little hip flask you keep too. You're not gonna be drunk through this, I want you feelin' EVERYTHING." Frequency remarked cheerily, a television screen appearing to their right as he waved said hip flask in the air. "It's up to you to save him, Melanie. I'm going to flood the pool with water. I've put a rock to bust ol' Erick free by the side of the pool, a knife by your feet and a key to the door that'll lead you to "safety". Think you can get you and he out in time?"

Melanie blinked as tubes leading into the pool began to gush out water, Erick growling angrily at the TVscreen. "It's a'ight with me if ya just leave him there. But of course, you could always play nice and save his ass..." Frequency said calmly, the television sinking into the wall as Melanie reached down with her feet to raise the knife up to her lap as best she could.

"Eeehh...errrrr...this is...made it look SO much easier...in the damn MOVIES." The Red Queen growled out as she shimmied the knife up her legs, leaning down with her head and managing to snag the blade in her mouth. She carefully cut into the ropes around her chest as the water began to rise up to her knees, Erick struggling uselessly in his sofa. "HA! Out! Now then...what was that secret you were offering?" She asked Erick.

"Oh yes, I imagine you wanted me relinquishing control of North Africa's territories, correct? How about this instead...you tell me the secret, and I get you out of there." Melanie laughed as she climbed out of the pool and picked up the rock and the key, smirking down at him.

"Get us out of danger first, THEN I tell you the secret. There's no guarantee that there won't be another trap waiting for us outside." Erick reasoned, Melanie sighing as she hopped back into the pool, holding the rock high and bashing the chains off the sofa, setting him free.

The two quickly ran to the door, unlocking it, Erick gasping as the door swung open and he pushed Melanie out of the way.

THWOOMP! SCHLUCK!

"...uhhh...gee." The Red Queen remarked, blinking in surprise.

"Just a scratch, I'll be fine." Erick insisted as he dusted himself off.

"A SCRATCH? Your ARM'S OFF!"

"No it isn't."

"LOOK!" She yelled, pointing at the floor. "It's practically screaming "Put me in the freezer"!"

"...believe me, I've had worse. It's fine, REALLY, I underwent radical gene therapy. I can't die." Erick laughed as they made their way down the hallway, Frequency pressing a button on a control panel as a television appeared to their right.

"You know, I think the original "Omen" is a very nice horror film. TOTALLY excellent death scenes. Like this!" He remarked cheerily, holding up a remote and pressing it.

BEEP!

A mirror promptly shot out through a slanted tube above, and Melanie gasped in horror, reeling back as Frequency frowned angrily, tossing the remote away as the television vanished once again. "**CRAP!** Totally bogus!"

"Frequency, why don't you just tell us what's bothering you?" Junior called out as Frequency's face appeared back in the living room. He pouted and folded his arms, looking to the right.

"He caught the head, that's what." The bounty hunter muttered balefully. "But we'll see how well he does when he reaches the maze."

"Our castle doesn't GOT a maze, sir." Esther commented, scratching her head.

"Ya do NOW!" Frequency laughed, an image of Erick and the Red Queen appearing before their eyes as the two regal rulers made their way into a stony labyrinth. An acrid taste of rotting plants and ivy hung in the air, long-dead flowers desecrating the already foul maze as the two walked side by side.

"Stay close to me." Erick insisted, nodding firmly as they approached a door to their right with a sign on the front that read "Crazy Intent".

"...wait! Don't!" King yelled out, seeing the two reach for the door. "Crazy intent means-"

Melanie flinched as Erick picked himself back up, coughing madly, the large imprint of train wheels visible over his once-nice blue jacket. "Locomotive. I don't know what hurts more...the pain from my fractured back...or the puns..."

"At least he didn't strap us to a wall and make us cut our legs off to get a key." Melanie offered as they continued down the hallway, noticing a sign nearby that read "Loser's Ahead". Eyes widening, Melanie dropped down and dived across the ground with Erick, narrowly avoiding scything blades that shot out from the walls.

"Losers ahead. "Loses a head". HA-HA-**HA.**"

"I changed my mind. The puns are worse." Erick mumbled as they reached a circular region of the maze, noticing several doorways with letters situated by them. One read "A", the other "B", another "C", and a final one "D". "What's this?"

"Pick a door. ANY door! Not every door's a winner, though! But you've almost made your way to the "Red-Hooded League", dude and dudette!" Frequency's voice rang out as Melanie approached the door marked "D", moving to open it up when Erick suddenly pulled her away.

THWUMPA-THWUMPA! Two large sharp circular blades shot out from the wall, embedding in the wall opposite, narrowly missing her as Erick moved her over to "B". "It's a musical clue. The key of "D" has "two sharps". But the key of "C", however..."

Frequency chuckled, steepling his paw digits. "What can I say? **_You got the music in you_**..."

"Frequency, STOP this!" Junior yelled out as the dining hall they were situated in began to shift and blend, Esther gasping as her guests were taken away from her. Junior, King, Jess and Ashton found themselves in the basement where Erick had been, surrounded by mirrors on all sides, the faint, twisted image of Frequency reflected all around.

"Me...I like monster movies, horror stories. Let me tell you about a real tragic one." The bounty hunter spoke in a voice that was now subdued, quiet...and very, very sad. "Summer blockbuster. All-star cast. All child actors, naturally. Bunch of kids in what looks like a coming-of-age family-friendly film. Not quite though...not quite. One of the kids falls through a rift in space and time, running...running like a coward because he was so, so scared."

King clenched his fist, poisonous energy seeping off as Junior felt waves of grief and pain oozing out of the walls from all around them like the walls were bursting to break down.

"Then the movie turns from sci-fi to horror. Kid lands in a very, very WRONG world. In some creep's basement. And he wants to experiment. Well...the kid is stuck there. For years...and years...and years...over 400 years alone...and afraid...and just wanting to go home."

"Revenge doesn't solve anything!" Junior begged.

"Experimental beings have more in tune with their bestial sides than most humans. Erick wasn't touched when he trained where you stand. But I? I was a different story. I aged...ever-so-slowly. I look young but...I'm not. I'm really not. And I've been waiting for a chance to get back at him for what he did to me. He took away 400 years of my life. I was **fifteen years old**."

"...I'm so sorry." Ashton whispered.

"FIFTEEN...YEARS...OLD." Frequency growled out at them. "I need you out of the way, don't want you "droppin' in", so you'll stay here until it's done. If you're lucky, this won't take long. Unfortunately...I'M the one with the Devil's own luck."

With that, he let out cold, harsh, laughter, his eyes a glitter as the glow from his spectral image faded, leaving haunting shapes in the mirror, reaching out at them...closer...closer...

...

...Erick and the Red Queen continued to make their way through the maze, approaching an archway with an enormous sign at the top. Through the archway was a splitting of paths, with signs above each path that showed different lines. One was a zigzag, another a straight line, the final one a curved line.

And the sign above the archway?

"What is the shortest travelling distance between the North and South pole?"

"Simple." The Red Queen reasoned. "The shortest distance between two points is a straight line."

"Ahhh! Ah-ah-ah!" Erick shook his head back and forth. "On a globe, it would be a CURVED line." He insisted as they opened up the doorway, Frequency appearing before them, squirting a gas in their face from a small bottle as the two began to cough and pant, the blue-furred Experimental American cheerily smiling down at them before they hit unconsciousness.

It wasn't long before he was dragging them into a special room, and they awoke to find themselves strapped to a table with a circular saw waiting for them at the end. Frequency was standing by a control panel, one pawed fist atop a red, bulbous lever as he flashed his many razor-sharp teeth.

"Welcome to the Red-Hooded League headquarters. We're about to find out which is your better side...left...or right?"

"How in the h-e-double hockey sticks did you set all of this up?! I don't HAVE a labyrinthine maze, for starters! And I'd never have a tool shed with a Bond-esque array of traps-" Erick growled out.

"Hush up!" Frequency snapped. "Friggin' wasteoid. It's all in the mind, Erick. YOUR mind. This entire palace was formed from your head, your imagination...your brainwaves. And me? I can ride waves of any kind. Bend them. Twist them around. It's just about precision, like ridin' the top of a killer whitewater without falling. And I've had years to practice."

He yanked down on the lever as they began to be brought closer and closer to the saw, whilst Junior and the others fought off the mirror things as they lashed out at them all. One of them grabbed ahold of Jess, making the page scream in terror as it began to pull him inside of an abyss of icy cold nothingness, but Junior yanked him out, panting heavily as he did so.

"Can't you do a spell that would take all these things out?" Ashton yelled at King.

"All of my magic is apparently USELESS against these things, but I wouldn't be offended by any suggestions!" The serpent anthro roared back as he launched a burning-white-blue fireball at one mirror, the blaze passing harmlessly through.

"I really wanted to try trepanation instead." Frequency told Erick, leaning on the lever as he waved a paw in the air. "Try something different other than knockin' off your limbs. I mean, Eli Roth does it all the time, but I admit, as GROSS as I find series like "Saw" to be, I DO admire some of the torture porn's ingenuity. I mean, that bear trap on the man's head? Or the key-behind-the-eye? Devilishly good. So I decided that after I've cut you in half, I'll wait and see if a new "you" grows. Like a worm. Think he'll be like a worm?"

"YOU'RE **INSANE!**" Melanie yelled at Frequency, who grinned at her.

"TOTALLY." He laughed. "Soon I'll have two Ericks and I can test the trepanation bit on one and the whole "Chinese torture rack" thing on the other. Trepanation's quite interesting. You drill a hole in someone's head. It stops male rage. No more hormones! You'll think like a girl! Good thing I'm good with power tools, or this would be EXTRA mess-wait."

He frowned, then yanked on the lever, going to Melanie and Erick and releasing them before tossing Melanie to the side and strapping Erick in the opposite direction...now his HEAD was facing the drill.

"What was I thinking?" Frequency laughed. "Doing it the other way would have hurt like hell!" He told Melanie, tying her to a nearby chair with some rope. "I may be out to waste you, but I ain't no inconsiderate jerk, y'know? Didn't want you FUBAR'D..."

"Alright!" Erick yelled out. "I'll say what you want to hear!"

"Oh?" Frequency whipped his head back at Erick as the whine of the circular saw buzzed through the shed, Junior's eyes widening as he realized what was happening.

"This is all in our head...it's an ILLUSION." He whispered to the others, reaching out and passing his hand harmlessly through one of the mirrors as Erick grit his teeth.

"Do you really think ya know what I want to hear? Go on. Tell me what I want, what I really, REALLY want." Frequency asked quietly, folding his arms.

"You're right. That's the awful thing. We both know you're right. Especially me." Erick cried out as his head got closer and closer to the saw. "But I WANT there to be something I can do! I want there to be a way to make amends! I don't want to lash out at you just to get free, to do something I shouldn't do instead of something I know I ought to have done years ago!"

Frequency was quiet as he closed his eyes, adjusting the red hood/cap atop his head.

"But is this all you are?"

"Hurting because I hurt you?"

"No."

The bounty hunter snapped his fingers, and with that, everyone found themselves in the dining room, untouched...unharmed. "That's not all I am. The whole thing was just in your heads, brought to life by me." He leaned back in a comfortable chair, sighing slightly as he closed his eyes. "Tell me...you ever read "Sherlock Holmes"? He was one of my favorite characters growing up."

"...The Red-Headed League. Of COURSE!" Junior gasped.

"A story where the whole point is not what it seems to be...one giant DISTRACTION." King growled.

"Then what were you really up to?" Erick wished to know.

"I think I know. You just gave yourself eighteen bamillion years bad luck, am I right?" Esther inquired as Frequency held up a bag full of broken glass from many shattered mirrors, tossing it to the floor.

"Yeeeeep. Smart girl, that one!" He told Erick. "You raised her well! The whole thing was just a play whilst I got the practical business done. You're not going to be trading that secret to the Red Queen, Erick. The magic was in the mirrors, and it dissipated when I broke them all."

"You mean after...after YEARS of him de-facto torturing you, centuries of pain, you set up this faux elaborate revenge scheme...JUST so you could get him to say he was **sorry**?!" The Red Queen asked, mouth gaping as Frequency took out a deck of cards and began to shuffle them.

"I don't expect you to understand. But where I come from, "sorry" buys a lot." The grandson of Stitch and Angel spoke simply, pulling out a Joker card from the deck and smiling. "Bridge, anyone?"

"...I thought I'd be coming back with valuable resources." The Red Queen mumbled as she slid to her knees. "That I'd be changing the face of Yurp's destiny. Now I have nothing to trade for and I just spent an hour running from deathtraps inside my own head, practically screaming like a little girl all the while...not my finest moment."

"Yeah...truth be told, the mirrors wouldn't have worked on a larger scale. Erick tried to do what you wanted to do, but he couldn't move the mirrors an inch out of the basement. Even I couldn't...until they were shattered." Frequency added. "Your plan NEVER would have worked...oh. Mel, Mel, you're turning red..."

"OHHHH!"

"Mel! Mel, you're turning BLUE!"

"_Ohhhhh..._"

"Poor thing. I mean...look at her, Jess." Erick remarked, a dark glint entering his eye as Jess and the other servants glanced at their mistress. "_Don't you think she looks...TIRED?_"

...

... "My, my, my." The Caterpillar remarked as he picked up the newspaper, waiting for Daveigh, Green and Princess to finish their little impromptu vacation in New Zealand, his wife making him a pot of green tea. "...vote of no confidence from Reichstag...Red Queen stepping down, passing crown to daughter...my-my. Poor dear, it's taken so much out of her."

"She looks so TIRED." Tak admitted sadly, nodding her head. She hoped Princess would bring back a nice souvenir...maybe a pet sheep doll?

"This'll be good for her. She could use a nice vacation. Should we suggest she come here for a nice weekend break at our famous hot springs?"

Tak grinned devilishly. "Well, there's always room for one more, honey..."


	15. Web of Deceit

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"Here's your choice: do you want to get f—ked by someone who tells you they're going to f—k you, or do you want to get f—ked by someone who lies to you, and then f—ks you?" Michael Moore_

14  
WEB OF DECEIT

The White Rabbit stood by a nearby tree with Josef and B, as the White Knight, now King of the realm of Carolina, addressed his people. He was dressed in his most regal and impressive knightly attire, one spear held firmly in his powerful hands, his dazzling white fur carefully brushed and made prim and proper for the cameras. Ember glanced over at B, who, with a single look, told her all she needed to know. This was not good. At all.

For two people stood by Kualili, former White Knight's side. Two very familiar beings. One with tealish fur...rounded, mouse-like ears, gold earrings and a large nose. One had a very large sword, thick brown hair, blue eyes...

Israel and Judah von Hamsterviel had somehow made it into this alternate world. And now...

"I present to you the head of my Department of Defense, doubling as the head of my new Research and Development Wing that shall be constructed this week...Izzy, my White Bishop!"

Izzy held a gauntlet-covered hand up, a mechanical shield forming in a circular pattern, spiraling out from the center as she raised her goggles up to her forehead, proudly crying out "CAROLINA STANDS TALL!"

"And it is also my pleasure..." Kualili added with a large, toothy smirk, gesturing at her brother. "To present to all of you Judah, my Commander-in-Chief of my Armed Forces, he shall be overseeing the campaign against Yurp...Judah, my White Rook!"

Judah spun his enormous sword around like a windmill before he slammed it into the podium he and his sister and liege stood upon, the three towering over the massive throng of Carolinians as he proclaimed "CAROLINA STANDS PROUD!"

"My fellow Carolinians..." Kualili said calmly, placing his hands together as Judah took his spear, the new leader of Carolina closing his milky, blue-tinted eyes. "It's been several weeks since we lost our beloved White Queen. Merrily was...I..." He began to choke up. "I will...I will ALWAYS...ALWAYS hold her in my heart. Every morning, I...I think about how she would have wanted to keep what she loved most safe. And what she loved most...was all of you. Her people. My people."

As he spoke, for a moment, it was her uncle's more kinder, human-like side shining forth, not this twisted version of dear Grey. For a moment or so, this WAS Kualili, gentle, timid, concerned Kualili...

And then...then it got worse. His tone gained...an **edge.**

"The evidence my government, your government has been collecting...cannot be denied. Our enemies in Yurp were willing before to be at odds with us over the slightest issue. Now their leader is hands-on. Now they're perfectly willing to escalate. It will only be a matter of time before they use biological, chemical or nuclear weapons. There is clear and present danger growing just outside or borders, and I refuse to wait for the smoking gun...the proof that comes with a mushroom cloud."

It sounded big. It sounded fancy.

But at it's core, it was a bully dividing up his factions.

It was Yurp and Carolina. Black and White.

"Us"...and "_Them_".

The Carolinians were clearly nervous. They'd heard the horror stories about what went on in Yurp. They'd NEVER really trusted the Red Queen. A dislike of her and her policies was as deeply engrained as the inherent stereotypical belief that African Americans were more "violent" than Caucasians. But they'd never had governmental approval for such disapproval of the Reds. At least, not open approval.

Now it was different, now the people began to eagerly murmur as Kualili went on, thumping his hand upon his armored chest, eyes blazing proudly. "If Carolina shows uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift towards further tragedy. Already the Infection had robbed us of our hope. But Merrily brought that back to us, as we were cured. Now I will continue in her footsteps. I will bring forth hope to the oppressed within Yurp's borders, and end it's oppression of those outside of the corrupted country. The world could drift towards tragedy if we allow the new Red Queen to run rampant. This-will-not-happen-on-my-watch."

Deep breaths all around. Josef chewed his lip. "Wait for it." He whispered to the others. "He's about to hit that gusher: the supreme confidence in himself and his country."

"Like generations before us, we've got a calling from Heaven above to stand for freedom!" The White Knight roared out, holding his fist high with his Bishop and Rook. "And tonight that dream is renewed! CAROLINA SHALL NOT FALTER! CAROLINA SHALL NOT FAIL!"

**Sensation in the hall!** The crowd went wild, hats being tossed into the air, hoots and hollers ringing through the skies. People began clapping so hard and loud that their hands became raw, others jumping up and down and yelling delightedly. Never before had a country been so riled up. Before them was not simply a man. Not, he was Resolute Man, with an iron will to match his mighty armor, with a resolve as unyielding as the shield he usually carried, with a tongue as sharp as the spear he wielded.

Ember didn't exactly have a love for the Coraline of this world. But she was certain, without a shadow of doubt, that NO Coraline deserved Kualili, and deserved what he intended to bring upon the country of Yurp. She waited for the people to be escorted away, waiting for Kualili to slink off to Merrily's grave as he knelt down by it, running one hand along the grass and the flowers, almost caressing her final resting place.

"...I would have done anything for her." He spoke quietly, eyes closing as Ember, the 'White Rabbit' stood far behind him. "...Coraline always mocked her and her ways the same way Melanie did. And Vladmir..." He chewed his lip. "...he was the only **man** I ever loved."

"This is just about revenge?" Ember asked. "People will die because of this. Innocent people. You want to get even, just go sneak over the border and EAT her, don't wage a war on her just because you're angry she insulted your "mom" and pushed your "brother" our of a window!"

Kualili dug his claws into the ground. "It's too late for forgiveness now." He spoke quietly. "...I will never forget what she's done. And I will never forgive. I want her to watch as everything goes to hell around her. I want her colonels and generals to report back in tears to say they can't regroup, they HAVE no divisions. I want her people to HATE the fact she's waging a war she can't win. And when she finally has nothing else left, I will make her BEG as she slowly dies. And then...only THEN..."

His smile was positively unholy. "Will I show her..._mercy_."

"...innocent children will die in this war. Children just as innocent as Vladimir and Esther were. Children who think they're fighting to protect their country." Ember said. "C'mon. Don't do this. _Please_."

"...leave, Ember." Kualili spoke quietly, pensively. "...I've no more use for you."

Ember took off her small reading glasses, rubbing them on her orange vest as she slowly shook her head back and forth, her beautifully-thick lashed eyes closed. "...I'm sorry then...I well and truly am. I wish you happiness, White Knight."

"I haven't been happy since I was a kid. And I haven't been a kid...since I was 10 years old." He murmured as she left him alone, leaving the estate and approaching B and Josef, nodding sagely as they left the white-furred being to a pit of grief and fury from which there was no escaping.

...

...

...

...Daveigh Pelekai, meanwhile, was being welcomed in to the luxurious and majestic hot springs at Mount Fuji. Natural hot springs always had an air of classiness around them, she decided as she felt two women with tubby bellies get to work on manicuring her nails. They were evidently even more pregnant than her, but were all-too-happy to scrub all her cares away, with Patricia sitting nearby underneath several servants with palm leaves that were fanning her. Listening to Patty sip a "Bahama Mama" with her eyes closed, allowing the chirping of birds and the light hiss of the hot springs to soothe her, Daveigh only had one thought in her head.

"It don't get better 'n this, hot stuff." Sari informed Green Jookiba Pelekai as she sipped an appletini from a crystalline goblet, gentle white clouds puffing overhead. The pink-haired President of the United States, First Lady and Commander in Chief all in one, was clearly enjoying the foot massage she was getting by the large, naturally-heated pool she and Green were loafing by.

Green herself gazed over the exotic spa with her black, green-tinted eyes, frowning slightly. Her powers were designed around gravitational and pyrokinetic abilities, she wasn't psychic. But she was very, VERY knowledgeable, and she KNEW, she **KNEW** that the Irkens were up to something. There had been something in the way Tak had approached them about the issue in Australia, like she had known there would be demons there.

It wasn't really something she could prove, it was more of a reasonable hunch. After all, Green worked as a bartender when she wasn't trying to take nursing curses. She "read" people. Could tell when they were depressed, or unhappy...or hiding the truth. And she doubted that the reason the Caterpillar and his wife Tak had invited them here was to celebrate their triumph over the "demonic hordes of Uluru". Oh no. It was something else.

There was something she was missing. Something that was out of place.

Several male humans with extremely large paunches approached, lowering on one knee, holding up trays with various drinks as they cheerily, albeit somewhat stupidly, smiled at Green. "No." She said firmly, shaking her head and raising a black-clawed hand as they left her, reaching down for her bottled water and taking a swig of "Evian".

"I'm glad to see you've been doing so well for yourself." Green admitted to Sari as the golden-eyed young woman smiled proudly.

"Why, thanks, hot stuff. I had help, though. After mom died, I was pretty much all alone...nothing but my dad's powers to keep me company, and, well, I was barely able to make use of them. You remember how I USED to be." "Princess" admitted. "I was always focusing on colors and gumdrops, not on foreign policy or domestic issues."

"You got CLEVER. Your dad was a good influence, then?" Green laughed as they stood up and headed around the pool to go find Daveigh.

"Sort of. I had an...adviser." Sari added, her eyes glinting. "I went from sleeping on the streets in a cardboard box to sleeping in a plushy bed, goin' to private school, going up to a special cabin on the reservoir in Croton every chance I got-"

Green did a bit of a double take. "W-wait. How can you have a cabin on the shores of New York's drinking water?"

"It's not ON the shore. It's across the road."

"There's a HIGHWAY that surrounds the-what about the oil spills or tire shavings of thrown-away beer cans?!" Green wanted to know, her voice growing slightly louder as it became abundantly clear just where Ember got her pro-environmentalist bent from.

"Oh, they sterilize everythin', really. And it's BEAUTIFUL being out on the yacht-"

"YOU'RE BOATING ON THEIR DRINKING WATER?!"

"And fishing too!"

Green looked down at the "Evian" in her hand. "...I'm going to have to start sending boxes of these to Haley and Nightwing in NYC..." She muttered, the two of them going through a hallway that depicted pleasant Mediterranean scenes.

As it were, the Red Queen had decided to begin her retirement with taking up the Caterpillar's old offer, the same offer he'd often given to her and Princess, which they were now taking, and she was thoroughly enjoying it. She lay upon her back as Jess meekly watched over her things in the royal-gold-painted massaging room as a very tubby Japanese man performed what he called the "Tokyo Treat".

"Oh...MY." King gasped, eyes widening as he pulled his head away from the room, Jess squealing as he took off running, gasping and panting as he clung to King for protection. "Never seen a happy ending so...HAPPY before." King admitted to the kid.

"If God exists, then Sex must be one HECK of a joke to him, sir." Jess reasoned.

"From what I understand, sex is a joke down HERE too." King mused, deciding to head back to the kitchen where Junior was making a carrot shake whilst Ashton sought out his dear Daveigh, the father-to-be clearly very nervous and jittery.

He kept nervously rubbing his hands together, chewing on his lips. The threat of imminent and foul death had once again reminded him that he had new responsibilities to own up to, both he AND Daveigh. This was parenthood he was being thrust into. Unplanned parenthood. And neither he nor Daveigh wanted to mess this up. He SO wanted to be a good father.

He had to talk to Daveigh. They should get a sonogram whilst in Tokyo. Where was she?

Well, as it were, she and Sari had encountered Tak was standing in the hallway, rather blocking them off with an ADHESIVE MEDICAL STRIP just above her mouth, the Irken rubbing it slightly. Awfully large thing it was!

"What's up?" Sari asked. "...wait." She frowned suddenly, an idea popping into her head. "...you didn't "fall", did you? I've heard all the excuses. "You don't know him like I do", "I can't leave him, I love him". Trust me, you DON'T need him."

"You're quick to jump to conclusions." Tak mused quietly, shrugging slightly, the two women facing her unaware the door behind Tak was locked...just like the door they'd just entered through had closed automatically...locking as it did. "No, no, I'm aware you've had worries about how he's treated me, but let me put the nagging doubt you've had in your head to rest: he's never hit me once."

She smiled at them, purple eyes calm and collected. "I'd like to apologize for sending you to Australia. Believe me, those sent have never come back harmed...not physically, in any rate. Merely...pacified. Calm. At peace with what we had planned for them."

"...planned? Okay, Bug Girl. Your gums are flapping, but what I want to hear now is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but. What did you have "planned"?" Sari demanded angrily, Green sniffing the air with her large nostrils. What was that smell?...why was...why...thoughts...muddy...

Couldn't...

Con...

Cen...

Trate...

She staggered, shoulder hitting the wall, but instead of a jarring pain, it wasn't more than a dulled whack. Something was clearly wrong. Sari tried to get her bearings, steadying herself against the wall with a hand as Green struggled to get back to her taloned feet, Tak's eyes gleaming as the lights began to dim, a strange, squishing, sickly noise like the peeling of a giant scab echoing through the near-silent hallway...

Near silent save for the now audible, albeit very faintly, sound of gas escaping into the room.

"Imagine, me playing for time to allow a near-odorless, invisible nerve gas to enter the villain. How very "Bond villain" of me, wouldn't you say?" Tak mused, putting a hand to her chest as she chuckled slightly, Green finally fading into unconsciousness as Sari gasped, falling to the ground. "Three minutes of exposure is all it takes." She said, removing the band-aid from the area on her face where she "breathed".

"Son...of...a..." Sari mumbled out before dropped her like a brick.

Elsewhere, Daveigh was getting her clothes back on in the ladies changing room, having thoroughly enjoyed her latest soak. She was thirsty, now in the mood for something sweet with a hint of lemon. She was eager to go find Ashton again. So much to get ready for, but she felt so ready, so sure of herself. She clenched her fist proudly, pumping the air with a fist. "HOO-HOO-HOO!" She grunted, jumping up and down. She could DO this.

"I am woman! **Hear me roar!**"

The Caterpillar was waiting for her in her bedroom, holding a tray with, whaddya now, a Pink Lemonade carefully situated in the center of the circular tray. Clearly this Darithil knew her just as well as the one from her own home, Daveigh thought to herself, smiling and taking the glass of pink lemonade, raising it to her lips.

Not bad at all! Very nice. Not too sweet...bit of a tart aftertaste, but she liked that, she thought to herself as she leaned back in the bed.

"I'm very glad to see you, and the others accepted the invitation, truth be told. Especially you, Sari and Green, my dear lady. It was the least we could do after getting you in danger the way we did." The Caterpillar spoke apologetically, but...there was something else in his words. He was not speaking sadly of something he'd done, but of what he WAS doing. Daveigh began to yawn, stretching her arms as she scratched her head.

"It's...it's noth...it's nothu-um...uh...I..." She mumbled, smacking her lips. "...what...what was in..."

"Don't worry, you won't feel a thing." The Caterpillar remarked cheerily, tossing the tray away as Daveigh dropped what remained of the lemonade, falling into unconsciousness as the Caterpillar slithered onto the bed. He held her tightly to his chest, leaning her down onto his thorax as his monocled eyes glittered with dead light, caressing her swollen belly.

_"Soon, little one. Soon." _

_..._

_..._

...

...Coraline had her OWN speech she was proudly giving, her armored divisions standing tall as she smiled at her people in the assembled courtyard of her palace below. Having taken over the palace, this meant she could redesign it however she chose to with her own mental facilities, and she wanted to make a place that allowed her to stand over LAAAARGE crowds of well-wishers. She wanted to be the ball in Times Square, with everyone cheering at her every little movement.

And cheer they would, once her finely-written speech was over and done with. She 'he-hem'd, making a grand showing of humility as she bowed slightly over and over to "her people".

"My loyal subjects...for 19 years I've waited for this moment and here I stand before you; Queen of Germany and Empress of the entire Yurpean Empire!"

She paused for applause and wasn't disappointed, and began to grin like a Cheshire Cat as she continued. "Like my mother and ancestors before me, I have now become the most POWERFUL human being on the face of the Earth!"

Oskar, standing by her side, clapped loudest of anyone. "WHOO-YEAAAH! WOOHOOOO!"

The new Red Queen raised her hand up."...now...of ALL Yurpeans, I understand the fear of fresh blood taking control. It creates the fear of change; these young, arrogant knuckleheads sweeping away the old, golden ways by them having been indoctrinated by the teachings of Liberalism; an ideology that's destroyed monarchies throughout the ages. Well…I will put you all at ease by making one thing clear; I'm NO liberal."

Laughter. LOTS of it.

"I'm a reactionary and a believer in the strength of the monarchy that has ruled Yurp and near enough the world for over five-hundred years! And as long as I wear this here crown and hold this here sceptre, this will remain so and Yurp will continue to be world's leading super power!"

She hoped the media was getting her good side. Inside she felt nervous as all hell, ready to practically drop a deuce right there. "So here is what is going to happen first of all; we're not going to give in to Carolina until it belongs to us and have you SEEN who's in charge of it's armed forces? **That won't take long!**"

A large banner was unfurled, showing a VERY unflattering picture of Judah, age 8, on the toilet. It was entitled "Judah Floats An Idea". And Frequency had MYSTERIOUSLY gained a fancy new Ipod...

"Now…let's talk about you, the Yurpeans and I, for a moment. I won't deny it; we've had a sort of…frosty relationship together. I've heard the rumors, believe you me, and I know that..." She hesitated. For a brief moment, she could feel an icy hand gripping her shoulder, the ghost of her brother Vladmir haunting her, deep eyes gazing balefully at the back of her head-

Gone. The warmth began to slowly return as her words tumbled forth like a geyser from sacred earth. "We haven't always seen eye-to-eye, especially under the circumstances." Coraline's jaw became set like stone. "But you know what? I see this as a complete fresh start between us and by the time it is time to pass by crown down to my son or DAUGHTER, history will look back at me as one of, no, THE greatest ruler of Yurp!"

The people were ready to cheer, but Coraline held a hand up for silence. One last word to get in.

"Please, please...before I wrap this up; I have one last and most important issue to raise with my people. Throughout the Empire's existence, my family has reigned over it with an iron fist. And now today…look where we are; we're not just the biggest and richest nation in the world…we're practically RULING the world! But how do you think this all came about? Was it just dumb luck my family helmed Yurp into power? Of course not! There's only one person that could have given us the right to maintain our strong leadership…"

She pointed upwards. "And I'm talkin' about the Big Guy…or girl…most likely guy, but that's beside the point. To quote my ancestor, Alois I, "We, the Royal family, were chosen by God himself to lead our country. It is my…divine right as Emperor!" THAT is MY creed! It's my divine right as Empress! So when some liberal dickhead whines like a big baby that your monarch is "undemocratic" and a "royal douchebag" you now know your retort; "SHE WAS CHOSEN BY GOD, SO **SUCK IT**, FUCKSTICK!"

THAT got cheers and laughter and roars of delight as Oskar clapped his beloved "kissing cousin" on the shoulder. "Nice addition." He added.

"It pays to ad-lib a bit." She whispered back before facing the microphone before her again. "Well, I gonna go get drunk." She laughed, imitating a Roman salute combined with the "peace out" gesture. "Sieg Heil out, y'all! I hear jagermeister calling me! Ceeeeleberate good times, C'MON!"

...

...Daveigh awoke to find herself lying in a bed made of the finest linen sheets, with curtains over the singular window in the dimly-lit room to match. Was she still in the Caterpillar's Tokyo "Hot Springs" Palace? Everything was in a shade of white, everything, giving it an appearance of being sterilized-

"It looks like a HOSPITAL." She grunted out, swinging her legs over the bed, rubbing her slightly-aching head as her black hair fell against her back, trying to remember what had happened. It came to her in an instant as she turned to see Skoodge calmly standing in the doorway...blocking it.

Blocking a doorway with his bloated belly lying in the center of a gigantic spider web, his eyes shining with unholy light.

"You're not to leave." He said calmly. "It's nothing personal, really, but you are not to leave."

There was an unholy hunger in his eyes as Daveigh skittered across the bed, looking at the ENORMOUSLY huge spider web he was lying in, his calm face a sharp contrast to her sweating, almost hyperventilating body as she looked down at her-

Why...was her stomach...so much **larger**? She gasped in horror, holding it as she looked up at him. "What have you **done?!**" She shrieked out, eyes tearing up. "My baby-"

"Is coming along nicely. Manipulating Sari's inherited chronokinetic powers was child's play for our lord of the Kingdom. You're just about ready to pop, aren't you?" He crooned, getting off the web as he crawled atop the bed, Daveigh trying to jump off only to be yanked down as she saw something wafting out of the Irken's back like smoke...a web folding down over her arms and legs, pinning her as Skoodge held up a needle, quickly injecting her.

Uselessly she struggled to break free, but these bonds of silken threads were far stronger than any spiderweb she'd ever brushed aside, and the injection that slid into her neck was dulling her every move. She desperately tried to get free as she felt the pain deaden, but the unmistakable desire for something to get OUT...she could feel that, oh yes, she could feel THAT.

"Oh yes, the bun in the oven's ready to come out, isn't it?" She heard Tak's voice as it cooed, the former monarch caressing Daveigh's cheek as she laid a "Congratulations" card by the bedstand with a set of flowers, placing her long-gloved hand in Daveigh's, her smile like the poisoned hard candy of a grandma. "Come, now, my dear..._puuuuuuush..._"

Daveigh _screamed._

...

...Green awoke, also in a bed similar to Daveigh's, only to find King, the Red Queen, Patricia and Junior unconscious on beds nearby, and the Caterpillar standing there with Zim, who was licking his lips slightly in anticipation. The monocle-wearing monarch calmly clapped his hands together, beaming at the Experimental American as the others mumbled incoherently in their near-comatose state. Had they ALL been drugged so easily?

"Well, well, well! Rise and shine! Carpe Diem!" The Caterpillar mockingly laughed.

She was tied down with spider threads...paralyzed. Utterly and completely paralyzed. Green's eyes narrowed. "...those menservants you had. I noticed something about them the same way I noticed something about the other human servants you hired at the hot springs spa. All of them had one thing in common...one BIG, ROUND thing in common." She trailed off as she put two and two together, spitting on the ground in disgust. "You're **INSANE!**"

"Such anger." The Caterpillar mused, rubbing his chin. "Not that it really matters now. You were brave, defeating the Hellion and the Hellmouth's legions, I respect that."

"AWWW, you're crazy with a heart of GOLD!"

"However, this kept you from being directly influenced by what the others we sent to their home were affected by. Usually they come back..." He hesitated. "...not lobotomized, exactly...but very, very _suggestible_..." He motioned at his ex-wife as she entered, who tenderly smiled at Green, waving slightly.

"You're **disgusting**!" Green hissed at him, fur standing on end as she tried to break free from the silky bonds, fighting through the drug-induced haze that these foul beings had forced on her.

"Struggle all you want, my dear. A single lock of our silk is strong enough to hold a 1-ton weight. I think all of those will hold you quite nicely." The monocle-wearing monster went on, waving a dismissive clawed hand in the air as Zim chuckled darkly under his breath, rubbing his hands together as he went "Oh boy, oh boy" over and over in a low, eager tone.

"What happened to all that pacifistic honor you had?" Green muttered balefully.

"Truth be told, I know this isn't a fair fight. I'm sorry for that. But this isn't meant to be a fight. You have something we can use, and once we've used it, well...you won't even care about anything else anymore. None of them ever do." The Caterpillar sighed. "I'm not doing this because I'm cruel, it's because...we can't...we can't do it normally on or own..."

"...but other races can...especially humans. We don't have a choice if we want out kind to survive." Tak added.

"And it feels GREAT." Zim whispered as the Caterpillar left the room, Zim approaching Green as she glowered balefully at him.

_It's not him._ She kept repeating to herself. _This is NOT Zim. It's not him it's not him_

He crawled on top of the bed, mouth opening, tongue oozing as she heard a squelching, fleshy sound like a wound being slowly opened.

_IT'S NOT HIM IT'S NOT HIM IT'S NOT HIM IT'S NOT HIM!_

...

...

...

...meanwhile, in a world far more "normal" by most standards, things were not going so well for two people. Coraline Jones's family needed some aspirin and milk, her mother was getting rheumatism pains...and cravings. Cravings for LOTS of 2%. And Grey Nicholas Pelekai...was slightly freaking out over losing his beloved neice whom he'd loved like a daughter for years...slightly freaking out over losing his friends...including one of his very best, Heartwing, Experiment 421...gone, sucked into a freakish mirror.

Just...gone. And now Izzy and Judah were gone too...

Coraline walked into his convenience store, waddling her little legs across the aisles. She'd put on a few pounds, granted, but it suited her as she wore a charming outfit: navy cap, blue coat, pink skirt and multi-coloured gloves. She walked up to the milk fridge rack picked up a whole milk carton and a box of Asprin with some "Bold" just in case, washing detergent, completely ignoring his slumped form as she approached the counter.

She greeted him in her high, then adorable voice, "Hiiiiiiiiiii, Mr. Grey, I-oh, you're crying like a big baby, aren'tcha?" She turned back and called even louder to the open door. "Mooooooooooooooom, Mr. Grey's crying like a big baby, what do I do?"

Her mother's aggrevated voice called back through the door, "TALK TO HIM!"

"Oookaaay!" Coraline spun around on her heels to Grey again and screamed loudly, "HEY GREY!"

"WHAT?!" He looked up, exclaiming.

"Hello." She smiled simply.

Grey blinked the tears out, wiping his eyes as he sat up. "Oh! Aloha! I...sorry. Long...week. Several."

He sighed. "Ever read Calvin and Hobbes? There's a favorite quote of mine. "Sometimes even my lucky rocket underpants don't help". Today feels like that kind of day...ever had that kinda day?"

"...I don't know what Jalvin and Bobbes is."

He rested his hands on his palms, sighing. _Oh, these kids today!_

"Wish my store stocked antidepressants...icees aren't cutting it. How can I help you?"

Coraline pierced her chubby cheeks together and hummed as she tossed her two items onto the counter from her short height, inadvertedly knocking Grey in the eye each time, making him give out the same monotone "ow" as a result. The little girl went overt to get some more items, including a small yellow paddle boat, a spray bottle of 'new car smell', and a large plastic bucket of gummy lips and teeth.

"Ow, ow, ow."

"There you go." Little Coraline dusted her hands off. "I'll also have one extra large vanilla milkshake to g- say..." She raised an eyebrow and looked at him inquisitively. "You look like you might be kinda down a bit. Is something wrong?"

Grey put his clawed hands together.

"...when my parents were dead...I KNEW they were dead and gone. I KNEW there was nothing I could do, and the doubts and fears in my heart were more along the lines of "If only I could have done something", "if only I'd been stronger, been there quicker". But when your parents were kidnapped...you didn't know where they were. If they were even still alive. You were trapped in between despair and hope, and that's a far more worse place to be...not knowing is the worst place of all, and that's where I am. I don't know where my _ohana_ is...what they're doing...if they're even alive. And I can't do ANYTHING." He whispered, putting his face in his hands.

THWACK!

He rubbed his cheek, Coraline holding her hand down. "You might call that "insensitive". I call it 'tough love'. Have more faith in your family!" She insisted. "Try letting your family stand up on their own two feet for once. It's not all waiting on you. That's vanity."

Grey blinked, rubbing his cheek. "Thanks. I needed that. It's just...hard on me. Daveigh was like a daughter to me for years. I know I can't always protect her from everyday stuff, but...well...fallin' into a parallel world? Weird-ass alien creatures and strange magic and the like? That's the kinda thing I was always good at keeping her safe from, and this time...this time I failed. It's just...really...I..." He sighed. "...you don't wanna hear about stuff like that." He waved his hand at the aisles. "Anyhow, it's one-third off on all candy this month cuz it's national candy day." He admitted.

"I appreciate that, Grey, and so I'll take two of those buckets of gummies." But she then turned serious as she hopped off the counter. "But I'm serious now, Grey, don't go crying like a pathetic two-year-old!" She added darkly.

"What? I'm not allowed to cry?!" Grey snapped. "...ugh. Just... don't tell anyone else about this. I hardly ever cry about stuff. I'm just frustrated." He said, ringing her up on the gummies. "It's not like I can just pull a "Superboy Prime" and punch the wall and all of reality will-"

His eyes widened. "...YOU'RE A GENIUS!" He yelled, leaping over the counter and promptly giving Coraline a HUGE kiss on the forehead, the "Snoopy" to her "Lucy". "**I LOVE you!**"

Coraline immediately whipped out a small spray bottle, sharp FSSSHH's ringing through the air. "Bad doggy. BAD doggy. No hug! Dry-dry!"

He stood there, shaking his head rapidly back and forth before rushing for the door. "Hold up!" She yelled. "What freaky-deeky voodoo stuff you gonna do now?!"

"Coraline, you've been around this town for several years. Do crazy, insane, reality-defying things have a tendency of working out?"

"...yeaaaah..."

"Well if THIS works out...I'll be sippin' Icees with them by late afternoon!"

**BUDDA-BLAM!**

An Irken servant's back opened up, it's eyes becoming blackened and hollow, screaming and screeching as his body dissolved away into threads of spider-webs, Jess panting and heaving as he lowered the shotgun. He'd run the moment everything had gotten wrong, privately grateful he'd been on his way back from the bathroom.

But he was scared out of his mind. Where was his liege? Where were his new friends? Where was the nice and cheerful Ms. Daveigh?

Well, she was currently awakening, realizing with a sense of unbridled joy that she could feel again.

And what she felt was the Caterpillar lovingly caressing her cheek, his smile like that of an angel's as he tenderly placed her newborn daughter in her arms, nodding at her slightly.

"Mazel Tov, it's a girl." He informed her as she looked down at the little angel in her arms. "...she has your eyes."

Daveigh held a pinky up, her daughter gripping it in one stubby little hand, burbling slightly as she giggled. "She's...she's beautiful." Daveigh whispered, her only thoughts of the child in her arms. Her little Yuna. Within these white walls, it was easy to forget she was a prisoner. She held Yuna in her arms for a few minutes, just letting the sound of her beating heart echo in her ears. She never, ever wanted this moment to end. If Ashton had been there...

Everything would have been perfect.

The Caterpillar carefully lifted Yuna into a nearby crib, rocking it back and forth as he spoke calmly. "I've allowed Ashton to go looking for you, and you're free to look for him when you awaken anew. Whilst I'm willing to give you a chance to go free, I can't have you carrying the child through this. It is too dangerous."

He turned back to Daveigh. "This is all a dream, Daveigh. When you awaken, you'll find yourself in a dark Hell. I sincerely hope you can escape from it with your beloved. Find me. Seek me out. I'll be at the highest room in the tallest rampart of the mansion. And don't be afraid."

"Afraid? It's only a dream." Daveigh frowned darkly. "Ashton TOLD me about what had happened at Erick's place before we split up to go relax, all of this is in your head, it's not real."

"It might as WELL be." The Caterpillar said quietly, shutting Daveigh up as she snapped her mouth shut, a chilling sense of horror rising in her as he continued to speak in that loving, horrible honey-sweet dark voice. "When you DO find me, all will be explained, and I'll even be willing to let you and your beloved walk free with your child to start your new life."

He drew himself up fully, placing a hand on his chest as he nodded with a tender smile. "I'm a sporting gentleman. But...well...if you FAIL, well..."

He calmly reached up to his eyes, to the double set of monocles he wore, one at a time as Daveigh's eyes began to widen. No, oh GOD, no, don't do that, anything but that, don't let me see what's underneath, that's too much, too horrible to imagine-

_SKKKKTTTCCCH..._

"The horrors you and your friends have faced before...the Death-Dealing Dr. Rolar, the Hanged Thing, the pitiable Shattered that had once been this realm's version of your dear guardian..."

_SKKKKTTTCCCH..._

"The Hellmouth, the Judges, the Corrupted, the Black Shadow, the Hellion Nurse, your Doppelgangers...those things could have only killed you."

There were no eyes. Nothing was in the sockets but the webs. Hundreds and hundreds of webs cascading over each other as a horrifying smile spread across his face and the world around Daveigh began to twist and fade like her grip on sanity. Nothing but the webs, and the spiders.

_The spiders._

HUNDREDS of them, all climbing around the webs, some scuttling out across his face, hissing and screeching in tiny, shrill clicks, hairy and spiky legs waving in the air, mandibles clacking together, this sightless horror reaching down, as Daveigh felt the words tumble from her mouth, tumbling like the spiders tumbling from his HOLLOW EYES-

"No-no-NO-**NO!**-"

And with that, he was gone. And she was alone.

Wiping away her tears, she looked up through the dark forest she now found herself in, a moon hanging in baleful annoyance, dim light being cast upon a mansion some distance away. Her only way out, her only way back to Ashton, back to her baby.

...her baby and her "big, strong man". Heh. She chuckled slightly, trying to smile as she headed towards the mansion as suddenly a terror-filled scream cut through the darkness of the woods. She halted and spun around, her wide eyes scanning the edge of the woods for the source of the scream...

Nothing. No one.

Ignore it, she thought to herself. None of this was real. All of it was meant to terrify her. The thing had her in it's web, but it clearly wanted to wait until she was afraid.

_You all taste so much better when you're afraid._

Where the heck had that thought come from?! Daviegh shivered in disgust. She'd almost forgotten this sick little spider that had her in it's web was a psychic. She kept walking until she reached the edge of the woods, her feet resting on the soft leaves. Compared to the painfully cold ground, the leaves were surprisingly warm against her now slightly cut and slashed soles. The mansion door slowly opened as if welcoming in her in with a slight, almost chipper creak.

She went inside, going further into the depths, the darkness seeming even more silent, pressing down on her shoulders with an oppressive weight. She cocked one ear, a frown across her face, as she looked around. Fine art hung on the walls, some of it mockingly haunting like "The Scream", others comedic, adding a twisted sense of normalcy, like "Dogs Playing Poker".

What? What was that? She'd DEFINITELY heard a scream this time. And this time it felt real. This time it sounded like-

_ASTHON._

She ran in the cry's direction, unaware that furry claws of keratin bone were watching from a rafter above, raking down the wall slightly. It wasn't him. Wasn't the one he wanted. That one was somewhere else.

Should he say...hello? No, not this time.

A pair of eyes glittered out from the dark, watching the dark-skinned Hawaiian break down a nearby door as he slightly chuckled, a wet, burbling sound as something began to pour down to splatter on the floor below.

...

...carrying Asthon back inside the main entrance hall, she brushed the cobwebs off of him. Frankly, she understood his hysteria. Damn spiders...

But she and Ashton stopped looking into each other's eyes and halted in their tracks by the unmistakable sound of stepping into something wet.

They tried not to look down. They really did.

...they failed.

Everywhere...

So...

Much...

_Red._

* * *

**Just as Silent Hill's series is known for multiple endings, I decided this story deserved them as well. Be forewarned...this is NOT for the squeamish. At. Freaking. All. I mean for this to be my most horrific ending, this is the "worst" ending possible. So don't read on if you're not ready.**

* * *

**"MOTHER"**

Ashton and Daveigh couldn't control it, the sight of the blood, the thick stench of it all, heavy and acrid, hanging in the air made them rush for the nearest bathroom. They both began heaving into the toilet and the nearby wastebin respectively, unaware of the tiny strings of spider webs that they'd run through.

But as more and more fell around them, the once near-invisible threads became clearer and clearer. Soon Ashton's face was wrapped up as they descended around him, covering him save for his mouth, allowing him to breathe...cold comfort. Daveigh felt some wrap around her but was faster and more frightened. She pulled Ashton out of the bathroom with her...

Or rather, tried to. But he was suddenly yanked like a worm on a fishing like right into the bathroom again, the door closing with a horrid, THUDD-UHM of finality as Daveigh screamed in denial and grief, rushing through the dark corridors, desperate for escape, even as strands of spider webs plastered against her face in her blind run. The strands surrounding her grew thicker, then suddenly she felt them stick to her, holding her back.

She managed to tear through the webs, hysterical strength just enough to pull away from the first ones and she found her body shoved deeper in a thick tightness that lashed against her. Sobbing in terror, the Hawaiian girl tried to yank her body from the webs, but now they were thick strands wrapped around her limbs.

Daveigh sobbed, trying to pull away from the spider webs, but somehow they managed to bind her even tighter against the milky strands. Sobbing painfully, she tore at the webs, but even as she broke a handful, even more seemed to drape over her, wrapping around her in a tight mass of white and pressure. Soon she was utterly trapped by her arms and legs, all spread apart in a mocking parody of being crucified on a giant silken "X". Daveigh tried to regain her senses, struggling in defiance against the webs that refused to release her, but to no avail. She couldn't even rip up the webs, she could only free her fingers.

"Ashton!" She yelled out. "ASHTON, BABY! Please, say you're okay, PLEASE...please..."

"He can't hear you." A voice as soft as silk intoned.

No, oh no, not him, Daveigh thought to herself, glaring hatefully at the greenish/olive skinned being as it descended from the ceiling...surprised and terrified at how it held itself up. Metallic spider legs of segmented joints were ripping out of it's back like knives being poked through flesh. Dark greenish blood had slightly pooled around the flesh in the back, going through the Caterpillar's white-robed outfit as clawed legs of bloody rust quickly ripped her clothes away.

Mercifully though, he then began wrapping webbing around Daveigh's upper chest, exhaling soft webs as easily as a summer breeze from his sharp-fanged maw. God forbid she be utterly naked for this. Her upper chest was soon covered as he caressed her face with his powerful claws. He seemed so much larger, so much more fearsome than before...

"I'm sorry. We need you. All of you. It's...it's gotten so hard for us on our own..." The Caterpillar said in his warm hiss of a voice. Hot breath brushed against Daveigh's face and throat as the warm body pressed even tighter against her. She could feel the smooth skin beneath his robe, and the warm embrace of his vaguely snakelike coils that looped around her even now as he carefully, tenderly, withdrew his metallic legs keeping them as far away from her as possible.

"What...what are you talking about?" Daveigh managed to murmur out. "Where's Ashton? Where's Yuna? If you've hurt them!" She growled furiously, before being silenced by a single claw to the lip.

"Shhhhh. They won't be harmed. And neither will you." He informed her. "Yuna is to be mate to a beautiful child that your friend Green will produce thanks to Zim. And Ashton will soon be providing my beloved with a child. Two, actually, once she's finished taking what she needs from him, she'll then give back." He caressed her cheek as softly as he could, continuing to speak in a voice like dark and rich honey. "It's only fair, after all."

"F-fair?"

Suddenly Daveigh put two and two together, thinking back to the many young children she'd seen when they'd first seen a glimpse of the Caterpillar's people in their natural homes...to the many pregnant women and fat-

She wept then, the Caterpillar's eyes slowly changing back to his double-monocle-wearing appearance as concern flickered in them. Trying to pour as much begging and need into her voice, Daveigh shook her head, "No, please. _Please._"

"Why are you crying?" The Caterpillar asked honestly.

"Rape victims cry."

The being that was Irken and yet not Irken was silent, but then a single tear dripped off the Caterpillar's cheek onto Daveigh's face. "I AM sorry. But this isn't something I have a choice about. My people can't...not on their own, and when we try, it...it so rarely works, I...I simply want my species to return. We need you. All of you. Old, young, man, woman...child..."

Daveigh started to beg softly, but the Caterpillar's lips kissed her tenderly for a moment, silencing her. "This is not a rape that should bring you tears." He tried to insist, as Daveigh watched in amazement. He was crying still. Crying for HER.

"...I..."

"There will be no pain, only pleasure, and then, impregnation." He went on, letting out a faint whisper as more of the webs began to cast over her body. It was becoming so dark in the womb of web he was lovingly spinning her into...and she felt so tired...

So...so very tired...

"Sleep, please?" He begged softly, kissing her lips again as her consciousness began to fade into dreamland. "**_The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout...down came the rain and washed the spider out..._**"

...

...Ashton groaned as he lifted his enormous belly up, trying to put a belt around his waist, finally giving up as he exited the hut, just resorting to going out in his pajamas as Daveigh lay in a rocking chair, breast-feeding her newest Irken child as Yuna looked on in interest at HER swollen belly. The Caterpillar was feeding formula to another one of his children as Green played trains with her child, Tak assisting as Yuna pointed at her mommy.

"Are you gonna lay an EGG? Like a chicken?" She asked.

Daveigh laughed slightly, shaking her head as the Caterpillar patted her over the head as gently as possible. "No, but soon our family's going to be bigger by one..then two, then four, then eight..." She let out a long exhale. "Hoo! Mommy's gonna need you to be reaaaaally nice to your new siblings, okay, sweetie-kins?"

"I knew you'd make a wonderful mother." The Caterpillar sighed happily, looking out over his grassy kingdom, smiling in delight as he closed his eyes. The powerful psychic allowed his mind to stretch out, listening intently on the astral plane as he nodded in approval.

He would sleep well tonight, he decided, his mind serenaded by the waves of joy that swept the Earth as his people made love to humanity.


	16. Itsy Bitsy Spider

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"What's the matter, Sentinel? Still afraid of BUGS?!" Blackarachnia, aka Alita-1_

15  
ITSY BITSY SPIDER

At first, Daveigh Pelekai and Ashton Edmonds thought the red was blood. And why wouldn't they? They'd been shunted into a haunted house set up by a diabolical mind intent on using they and their friends for unspeakable purposes. This was all a sick game of the Caterpillar's.

But no. No, it wasn't blood. As the smell hit their nostrils and their eyes widened, Ashton kneeled down by it and took two fingers, brushing through the redness on the floor, tasting it with his tongue.

Wine. Red wine.

How...odd. Very odd.

It was recently spilled too. Why would he leave red wine in the floor of this strange mansion? Why not have a dead body or something hanging from the ceiling? So strange...so odd.

As Ashton stepped back to Daveigh, they heard something odd. The massive fluttering of mighty wings. Immediately they quickly rushed to the side, hiding behind a nearby couch, waiting for some giant bird of pterodactyl or other winged thing to come out. Instead, they were greeted by the surprising sight of dozens, maybe even hundreds, of butterflies...all black and white, with long proboscises that dipped into the red wine, sucking away.

Daveigh LIKED butterflies. She smiled at this, walking over to them, the butterflies evidently not caring about her presence as she looked down at them from the side, holding her hands together and putting them to her cheek. "Awww, you're so cuuuuu-"

She stopped, realizing the pattern in which the butterflies had landed on the enormous patch of red wine in the floor, turning her head to the side to confirm her suspicions.

It was a message.

It read "Don't Look Up".

...she looked up. She slapped her hands over her mouth, Ashton gripping her shoulder tightly as he took in a harsh breath, seeing the horrific display above. There was no roof. There was only a dark black hole, sucking in all light around it like some kind of inverted sun as spider webs provided a flimsy "protection" for the inhabitants of the world below. Tiny spiders crawled across the webs, and she could feel every single one of their eyes on her...

Shuddering, they made their way into the kitchen, a pasty-white thing with strange blackish spots all over the walls and every floorboard they stepped on let out a long, eerie "CREEEEEECH" as they moved forward. pushing open a thick door as cockroaches scattered away from something far-off in the corner...

Some big, rotten, fly-covered hunk of meat-

_Ask yourself, what kind of animal could be so damn BIG?_

Daveigh decided not to find out. She noticed something in the nearby supply closet, something glinting in the dim light. She opened the door, pulling out a shotgun which she held in her hands. She turned the weapon over, nodding, yes, yes this felt right. This was something she really needed right now.

Ashton pulled out several long and large knives from inside of a wooden holding piece for various carving and skinning knives on the kitchen counter. He wrapped up a few of them in a nearby cloth, holding onto the last remaining blade as he and Daveigh exchanged a single look.

A look that said "this is serious".

A look that said "this is going to be tough".

A look that said "let's go get our baby girl back".

...

...Josef looked at the newspaper, shaking his head back and forth as they read the latest report from the front lines of the war. Anybody who had doubted Judah's fortitude in combat had been quickly proven mistaken. GRAVELY mistaken. Both he and Izzy had shown they clearly were more dangerous military minds than anybody else that the current Red Queen had.

Matters had not been helped by Erick joining the fray to defend his country and the alliance he'd established with the White Queen's kingdom. Merrily may have been dead, but the White Knight Kualili had been next-in-line after her and her husband, and he honored his debts. He too was fighting Coraline's troops, and refusing to give in. An unmovable force was meeting yet another unmovable force.

The death toll was enough to make you lose your lunch, let alone the pictures that came with.

"I don't know how they do this." Josef muttered, tossing the newspaper away as he sat atop a merry-go-round, B sitting on a nearby bench as Ember reached for the golden ring on the carousel. Frequency returned to them, whispering to Manifest something the others could barely make out as Manifest nodded sagely, clearing his throat as a group of Josef's fellow Romany, aka gypsies, followed him.

"Josef, you're the head of this little clan, and I consider you a responsible young man." Manifest spoke calmly. "I've got something I wish to discuss with you. Frequency's been in touch with Kualili and Erick von Hayden-Muir's daughter Esther...there's matters of war to inform you of."

Josef immediately blanched, but he summoned his courage to the sticking point and hopped off the brown/black horse he was riding on and left the merry-go-round, heading over to another part of the fairgrounds as Manifest hummed a Marilyn Manson tune, the two of them making their way into the "Hall of Mirrors".

Ghosts and goblins flickered across smooth glass as Manifest softly sang. **_Come with us and you will see, this odd town of Halloween, this is Halloween, this is Halloween, bump and scream in the dead of night..._**

"What is it?" Josef asked calmly. "Is this about the secret tunnels in the Red Queen's realm?"

"You and your people are the only ones that know about them. If you were to sneak men inside..." Manifest began, gesticulating with his hands.

Josef immediately cut him off, waving a hand through the air, snorting loudly. "I don't think so! We've been used before, we won't be used again."

"You've got to fight for JUSTICE-" Manifest began.

Josef burst out into laughter, holding his sides as Manifest's eyes narrowed, a rainbow of colors focusing harshly on the tattoo'd face of the gypsy. "That's a good one! Pull my other leg and it plays "Jingle Bells"! We don't want anything to do with your "justice" any more than we want anything to do with HER idea of "justice"! The Romany are for the Romany."

Manifest frowned at this. He was immensely annoyed by this young man's attitude. There were people dying on the front lines, horrible, violent, (in the case of Judah, giant-sword-related) deaths that could be halted if Josef and his kind would simply show Erick and Kualili's forces where the secret tunnels were in Yurp. And, more importantly, where they LED to.

"You just want to make USE of us, that's all. It's all just a game-"

Manifest then leaned in very close to Josef's ear and whispered. "_Stop it,...ir."_

Josef then turned very, very pale. His eyes widening as his mouth fell open ever-so-slightly, he turned his head to the Hand of God, croaking out "How? How did you my real...?"

"I know more than anybody else." Manifest said softly. "I know your true nature. Do you understand me now? Do you STILL think I intend to just "use you"? This isn't about that. This is about opposing something that is definitely WRONG. I might not have agreed with Mel, she could be cruel..."

Josef snorted, arms folded as he pulled away, his angry expression reflected a hundred times in the mirrors around them.

"Yes, she was authoritarian and heavy-handed, but she was intelligent, she was pragmatic and honestly wanted to further the Yurpean Empire further both economically and culturally." Manifest insisted. "I mean, she DID industrialize Eastern Europe and Northern Africa, she actually making USE of the latter overseas territories and educated them in politics, it wasn't HER that went after your poor race, it was her daughter. Her daughter is-"

"Fruitier than a basket of oranges." Josef finished. "...fine. Fine. Under pressure from everyone, fine. I'll get a map of Yurp, draw up the necessary geographical data and provide longitude and latitude coordinates for Carolina and Lewistania's forces."

"Ember was bugging you too?"

"She didn't stop until I double-dared her to get the ring, just leave me alone. I'm doing this, but under protest." Josef insisted angrily, stomping out of the Hall of Mirrors as Manifest chuckled.

"Ah, Guilt-tripping. How I love you so. But I sense that a dear friend of mine needs my help. Heartwing, hold hard...I'm coming for you."

...

...

...

... Grey cracked his knuckles as he stood before the monolithic looking glass in Izzy's laboratory, Heatwave putting the finishing welding touches on something in the corner as Coraline waltzed in, something sitting on her shoulder.

It was NOT a cat. It was an almost-four-feet-tall German Night Imp, with skin as smooth as a baby, black as midnight with a muzzle and maw a sickly, almost dead-fish-like white. It hummed slightly as it nuzzled Coraline, Coraline petting its head as she stroked the imp's ponytail, which was rested over it's slight pot belly.

"New pet, eh?" Grey inquired. "And a Night Imp." He licked his lips. "They're chewy."

Gitte the Imp hissed at him and he laughed. "I kid! I kid!" He insisted, making it relax as he bared all his fangs. "I'd never eat any of you again. You're actually very STRINGY."

"My mom's business has been doing reaaaally well. We've actually got enough money to live here for ages. No more moving from Michigan, to the Pink Palace to wherever. She's bought the newspapers, she's got loads of money from the big inheritance...we're the richest family on the island!" Coraline proclaimed. "She's in so much money, she's been on the cover of "Corporate Scumbag Monthly" THREE times."

"Cartman must be green with envy." Grey insisted as Heatwave fitted him with his silvery gauntlets, and he clanked the fists together, nodding firmly. He was tempted to talk about monopolization but, truth be told, he didn't know much about the subject. Numbers weren't his game. He could barely do his taxes, let alone try and explain economic theory. "Just...be wary. Money...big money...does bad things to people's heads."

"What exactly are you doing?" Coraline wanted to know as Gitte hopped over to a nearby table, Heatwave standing by the human girl as she smiled over at her.

"We remembered when Izzy did the experiment. Organic matter gets sucked in. But he's wearing a non-organic, metallic compound to fool the looking-glass into thinking he's, say, a robot." Heatwave told the girl, gesturing at the enormous glass as Grey raised his clawed, metallic-gloved hands up high. "And now we do something really, really stupid and insane and wild."

"Will it work?"

"Oh definitely." Grey said with a chuckle. "Because this...is a job...FOR SUPERMAN!"

He threw his fist.

It struck home.

And with that, everything went UPWARDS and SIDEWAYS and INSIDE OUT as light became dark and right became left and here and there and EVERYWHERE AND-

Silence...long...empty...silence...as everyone in the world gasped or gulped, information flooding into them as Grey stood stock still. Lord knows as Kualili, he could get pale, but now he seemed even paler than his "gentler self" as he staggered back, a meek expression flickering across his face.

And Coraline, holding her hands to her mouth, felt the words come tumbling out of the counterpart to the Red Queen, who knew everything, EVERYTHING the current dictator of Yurp knew, and KNEW what she had done, and she KNEW about-

**"No! No, no no, no!"** Coraline screamed, rushing out the laboratory, Gitte slowly turning to Grey, frowning darkly, hissing a little.

"...I didn't know." He mumbled out. "...at least we know...they're still alive. That's...something...that's..."

But it wasn't enough.

Not now. Not knowing what they knew. Not knowing what he knew about the Kualili in the Reversed World.

And so Grey Nicholas Pelekai sank to his knees, bowed his head, and wept.

...

...

...

...as Daveigh and Ashton made their way deeper into the house, heading down the labrynthine halls, they were struck by a sickening realization...

The walls were dark, dark pink, a deep, fleshy tone, with a smell that was sickly, overpowering, and yet somehow unidentifiable. Upon a touch, the walls seemed to shudder and shiver like a turtle withdrawing into its shell, with a feel like maggots on the skin. Every single hallway felt like...

Like the inside of giant person. They shivered as they continued moving forward, suddenly being stopped by a horrendous, horrifying shriek. Ashton gasped and clung tightly to Daveigh. "What in the holy hell was THAT?!" He screamed, the shriek echoing through the dimly-lit halls, tiny torches casting dancing shadows on the pulsing walls as Daveigh patted her husband on the shoulder, frowning.

"...something to scare us." She decided, moving forward before halting in place, raising her shotgun.

It was one of The Infected. One of THEM, the things that had fallen to "The Infection" that transformed individuals into horrifying monsters, the crippling plague that had ravaged the world which only the Hand of God, Manifest Destiny, had proven able to cure. But there would be no cure for this one. It was beyond helping.

Its thick entrails were flopping out of a blown-open stomach...had it been a man? A woman? Daveigh couldn't honestly tell, the flesh was so far gone, the bones were almost just as blackened. The body was so far gone that not even a dental records might have helped. Worse of all, IT was the thing letting out the screech.

Daveigh had liked catching frogs and turtles by the lake. Until one day she'd caught a big green frog in her net, and it had done something she had never, ever heard a frog do.

It had SCREAMED.

She had stared down at it, blinking slowly, the thing SCREAMING, screaming like a child in pain. It was an ungodly, unholy, pitiable sound. She couldn't bear to bring herself to catch the little thing. She'd immediately yanked the net off and run home, the whole thing had been a horrific incident for her, and if she had to choose, then that moment where the frog had opened its mouth to cry that haunting wail...

That would have been the most unsettling moment from her childhood.

Listening to this thing...she felt that same frozen fear. She couldn't move. She just stood there, staring at the thing as a single eyeball plopped out to make two empty sockets. They stared, hollow, soulless, it wanted her, it wanted ALL of her, but she couldn't move and all she could think about was that frog screaming-

Ashton flung a knife through the air. It struck deep into the thing's jugular, shutting the screeching wail off as the thing staggered back briefly. As if jolted from sleep, Daveigh found herself raising the shotgun and firing it, firing and firing until the thing moved no more because NOTHING as unholy as that deserved to be alive.

Whatever that thing had been in life, it had ceased to be a person a long, long time ago. This was not a human. She was looking at the thing that had killed it.

Now it was ASHTON that held her shoulder and guided her down the hall as they peered into a room...a room filled with children's photographs and toys, a small diorama on the wall and a mobile of many planets hovering over a crib covered in cobwebs.

But buried in the cobwebs, past the thousands of spiders, was a photo album. Daveigh summoned up her courage, gritting her teeth as her hand plucked the album out, the spiders in the web just ignoring her as she opened up the photo album, amazed at what she saw. It was the Caterpillar, and a beautiful, blue-eyed Irken with butterfly-like wings coming out of her back. The Caterpillar was sucking on a golden hookah toy, only a tiny smeet, an itty-bitty baby in its mother's arms as she cuddled it to her chest.

Daveigh and Ashton flipped the pages as photographs of the child were shown, growing older...growing to look more like the being they knew...captions revealing things like "first steps" and "first word", and "first solid food"-

The next page showed a young Caterpillar kneeling before a freshly opened grave. "The day I buried my mother."

Daveigh instantly grew cold. This was positively horrible. Nobody that young deserved-

The Caterpillar's head turned around and blinked. Daveigh and Ashton screamed as they dropped the photo album, the pages whipping through the air, one after another, voices emerging as it settled on a page showing an arguing older Caterpillar with his wife, furiously shouting at two tall Irkens, one in Red clothes, the other in Purple.

_"Your ways will be the death of us all! Your misguided faith in the smeeting factories and your obsessive desire to keep the status quo will doom our race to stagnation!"_

_"HA! You're just jealous because your Monarch's not nearly as tender and loving as my pudding cup here is to me!"_

_"Awww, I LOVE it when you call me "Pudding Cup", Pur."_

_"Your relationship is not permitted in our society, Caterpillar! We don't care if you ARE our ruler, WE'RE head of the Military and the Armada and we're the ones calling the shots! If you try and change our ancient laws, we'll throw a coup and do this the HARD way."_

_"Why? Why can't you just let us have our ways, and you can have yours? Why not give the people a CHOICE? Let them CHOOSE who they love instead of-"_

_"The only source of smeets MUST come from the factories. Natural-borns are too...weak. Inferior. We've been over this a thousand times, the Hive Mind agrees with us."_

_"...you will regret this."_

_"Thought they'd never leave. What a major downer."_

_"I know what'll cheer you up, puddin' cup..."_

Ashton chuckled dryly. "You know, we ALWAYS wondered about those two back home..."

"So it was okay for them to...but not for...I don't BELIEVE this!" Daveigh hissed as she turned away from the photo album. "This is all summoned up from the Caterpillar's head, these are his memories, I'm sure of it. If that "Hive Mind" really refused to let people have their own children, I'm-wait."

She blinked. She remembered something. Hadn't Princess told them that a civil war had ravaged the Caterpillar's homeworld? What if...

As if by magic, the door across the hall opened, and they saw a photo development room, hundreds upon hundreds of scenes playing out inside of photographs, but all of the voices were speaking of the same thing, the two realized. As they listened to the speakers in the development room, it became clear this was a debate between two VERY large forces about-

_"Birthers. Always about YOU, isn't it? About what YOU want. What about the greater good?"_

_"I think that giving new life to Irk from a natural source is the 'greatest good' our species can give! The galaxy thinks we're DIGUSTING for mass-producing the test-tube method!"_

_"Have you SEEN the rest of the galaxy? The Vortians BANNED homosexual marriage, the backward GOATS."_

_"You can't UNMARRY a man and a woman who are in love!"_

_"Watch us!"_

_"You keep this up, we'll force you out of power, oh great Hive Mind! This is villainy, plain and simple!"_

_"We would like to see you TRY-"_

And then, all at once, all of the photographs in the room burst into flames as Daveigh and Ashton heard the door.

Closing.

LOCKING.

And the smoke was quickly filling the room. They gasped and hacked as they fell to their knees, the burning smoke filling their lungs, weeping bitter tears as unconsciousness dug its claws deep into them all...

Keratin claws calmly removed the door from it's hinges as a slightly-taloned foot kneeled down...

...

...

...

...Green dusted herself off as she left the room, the smell of a burning carcass left behind on the bed...the smell of ants roasted with a magnifying glass, foul and harsh and bitter. She ground her teeth, wishing she could drop dead then and there for what she'd done, and she would have if not for the fact that she had to get her friends out of this damnable place. She had to find her husband. They needed her help.

"It wasn't him." She kept telling herself, removing his burnt-off hand from her foot, the only thing that had remained as he'd crawled towards her, begging.

It wasn't him.

She kept telling herself that, but she knew she'd never really believe it, Green thought to herself as she began going up a nearby staircase past walls and walls of paintings depicting scenes on a faraway alien planet...

She tried not to notice the scuttling noises that kept echoing in her ears.

She finally reached a doorway that was partially open, hearing a delirious voice from inside...in fact, several. She pushed the door open as she found herself in a beautifully-tapestried room, with an enormously bright fire on a clean hearth and red wine and cut glass sparkling on a nearby table. Her husband was sitting there, sipping some wine and he smiled warmly as he saw her, cheerily beaming.

Wait. No, something wasn't right. And she realized what.

There were two Junior von Hamsterviels sitting in the room. One at the table. The other trapped in a silver chair, apparently asleep. Green suddenly realized the truth. Only one of them was hers. The other was his counterpart, his doppelganger, the same way Dr. Rolar had been King's, the same way that the Corrupted had been Snizzi's, the same way...

The nurse...the Hellion...had been hers.

But which was which? She couldn't tell. They looked exactly the same! They SMELLED exactly the same. And the one who was drinking wine was talking exactly like him.

"I'm so glad you're alright." He said gently. "But it's a long story as to how I got free. I suppose I should start at the beginning?"

"Yeah. You should." Green said simply, intent on finding out the truth as she folded her arms and tapped her black-taloned feet against the red-carpeted floor.

"You must understand, my love, I know nothing of how I was knocked out and how I entered this dark world, only that I soon found myself tied to a bed by one of the Caterpillar's many men...a skinny one, he was to boot. A most comical thing, isn't it? All rather ridiculous. One moment I was sipping Pinot Grigio, the next minute I'm strapped down and moments away from a nightmare straight from the bowls of H.R Giger."

"H.R Giger had standards."

Suddenly the other Junior began to speak, writing and moaning in the chair. His face was becoming paler than putty, and for some reason he seemed so sad, so frightened, Green couldn't help but pity him.

"Enchantments...enchantments, tangled, heavy web, dragging me down...drugged. He drugged me and he dragged me down here. Why did he let me go, did he think he was being kind? Did he think his hands were bloodstained enough? It hurt so much..."

The other Junior was silent, shaking his head back and forth as the mumbling, almost delusional Muridean/Experimental American went on.

"Have I lived ten years or ten minutes in this thing? Maggotmen...the maggotmen, I could see their organs, what kind of disease DOES that to a person? Let me feel the wind, let me see the sky...there was a pool. A little pool by our house."

Green's eyes widened.

"Page wed us by it, you could see all the trees growing upside-down in it, I remember, Green was so beautiful..."

The other Junior sighed as he put the wine glass down. "This really is...unfortunate." He murmured, a strange sort of color entering his face as he too became pale. But it was not the paleness that came from shock, but that which came from unbridled fury. He stood up, chuckling slightly, deep, dark, foul...

And from his mouth it came. From his jaws it came pouring out, splashing to the floor, trickling down from emptied eye sockets, as he giggled, his voice like a drowning man as red wine splattered to the ground. The Cracked laughed and laughed, the wine continuing to flow, so much of it rising, soon it was up to their knees...

And soon they would be drowning, with the Cracked the only witness to their deaths.

...

...

...

...Daveigh and Ashton found themselves within a bedroom now, the door closed behind them, the two tenderly tucked in together. An attempt at compassion from their captor, Ashton imagined as he found herself grateful that whatever had carried them out had brought their weapons. Still, besides the shotgun and the knives, they had their keen wits...plus the bedroom wasn't that big or that evil looking, so surely they would be relatively safe as they looked around.

All the same, Daveigh kept her shotgun ready. Just in case.

And it was a good thing too, they heard voices from outside in the hall and snuck out, pressing tightly to a wall of bricks as heavy forms made their way across the hall...familiar forms. All-too-familiar ones.

The Caterpillar had been peeking into their minds. The Hanged Thing and Dr. Rolar were calmly waltzing down the halls, Dr. Rolar slithering, chuckling slightly as he hissed. "Come to me, my children. Come and let me give you the tender kiss of Eternal Sleep. Come here..."

Daveigh cocked the shotgun. Ashton readied a knife. This time they could take them. This time-

A pair of sightless eyes and a surgeon's mask with a stretched out, rotted-flesh maw looked down at them, the "Reversed" Dr. Hamsterviel ripping open his stitched-shut mouth as it laughed. "I THINK YOU NEED A DOCTOR."

THAT made them run back into the room, locking it tightly as they barricaded the door with the bed and the cabinet, panting heavily as Daveigh faintly heard familiar chuckling. HIS familiar chuckling. Dirty bird, she muttered to herself. Sick, twisted sense of humor.

All things considered, the bedroom would have been nice had it not been in a building teeming with pure, unmitigated **evil**. A queen-sized bed with an ugly, splotchy-covered (heaven knows what the splotches were) comforter took up a good portion of the room. There was a nightstand next to it, a matching desk across from the foot of the bed, and a bureau on the other side of the bed. All of the furniture was made with some kind of wood, probably mahogany. A large closet with French doors was along the wall opposite the bureau. It wasn't overly messy, but it looked lived in. Daveigh wondered where the resident was.

Moving to the desk, Ashton moved some things around until he uncovered what looked like a journal, flipping through it until he found a clear entry. It was in Japanese, but he began reading it aloud, realizing he could understand what it said...

_"There's no escaping this damn apartment. When they first arrived in Asia, we took pity on them. 89 million refugees needed a home. But that first night they spent with my wife and I...we were drunk...we were foolish. They "realized our potential". And now..._

_The bloody noses, the headaches, the vomiting...morning sickness, I'm sure of it. My wife has it too. How...HOW did they do this to us? WHY did they do this to us?_

_He's watching. He's ALWAYS watching, he's the thing that's always at the edge of my vision, hiding in the deepest shadows, waiting for me to falter. Oh God, help me, please...I don't-"_

The rest of the pages were torn out. Ashton slowly closed the book and sighed deeply as Daveigh reached for the closet door, still keeping one hand on her shotgun. If anything was inside-

Luckily, nothing but some flashlights. Handy. They pocketed the things, making their way out of the room through an adjoining bedroom, slinking out the door on the other side and tiptoeing down the hall, maneuvering through the dark hallways towards a set of double doors that were flanked by busts of men from their chest up.

Only something was very off about them. It was like some kind of illusionary card that, when you turned on its side, showed a very different picture than the one you'd originally seen. The minute they went to step closer to the door, the bust CHANGED, the jacket becoming tattered, the flesh becoming pockmarked, almost oily...

The face caved inward, revealing nothing but empty blackness as blood...real blood...slipped down from the outer layers, plopping on the now-faceless thing's chest with a drip...

Drip...

Drip...

DRIP...

**DRIP...**

Daveigh and Ashton couldn't bear it. The sound was most horrific than the screeching they'd endured before, they busted down the door...

Something was there. Someone had been waiting for them in this enormous king-sized bedroom they found themselves in.

And that someone had been the Caterpillar.

"Welcome, my dear sacrifices." He spoke in a quiet, sweet voice.

Daveigh sucked in a breath, willing herself not to cry out as the webs coated her and Ashton from his maw, his empty-socketed eyes gazing intently at them, the tiny spiders scuttling across his face. It felt like her entire body was being crushed from the web's force. Whimpering, she opened her eye, blinking at strands of spiderwebs across her face. Still fuzzy, she tried to brush away the tickling strands, but her arm refused to work.

Grunting, she blinked away the webs and tried to force her blurry eyes toward her arm. Her eyes finally focused on the thick strands covering it, almost to the point she could barely recognize her own limb. With an effort, she jerked at her hand, squeezing it; underneath, a bulge formed against the sticky fingers but her strength was unable to break away.

Ashton was also hopelessly trapped, in vain he tried to move his arms and legs, but they were also caught in the same sticky strands. Panicking, he stared down at her body...his lungs, it felt like they were refusing to work...

The Caterpillar tenderly lifted them up, putting them on the bed, it's spider legs emerging from it's back, ripping through flesh, leaving behind dark green scabs as they tightly wound Daveigh and Ashton together in a half-mocking, half-touching parody of an embrace, his eyes suddenly filling with...a strange expression of concern.

"What did you put in our drinks..." Daveigh managed to mumble out.

A faint smile spread across his lips as he pulled out a golden hookah pipe, getting a tiny puff from it before he blew out a single ring through the air. "A way of silence, nothing more. Would you like a puff, my dear?"

"You... you want to force yourself...on...and you already HAVE, haven't you? How many times? How many times, Caterpillar?"

Sadness flickered in the web-filled eyes as he put the hookah away and rested one clawed hand on each of their cheeks. "Yes. I'm...I'm sorry. I truly am. But...please understand." He begged. "I have no choice."

To her surprise, Daveigh felt a concern for the dark being, a concern that made no sense. Her hands begged to reach out, to stroke her, but the web bounds still held her down, helpless. Why was she feeling sorry for him? Then she thought about the sad little child she'd seen...the child that had buried his mother with tiny, tiny hands.

"What happened to your race?" She asked at last.

"...the Hive Mind...wouldn't let my flock choose. They decided they'd rather watch the world burn that share it with us. We could have been so happy. I would have brought them paradise, if they'd let me. I could have brought Heaven on Irk...if only they'd-" He trailed off, scuttling off the bed, holding his head in one hand, shaking it back and forth as his voice became quiet and mournful. "...my people once numbered in the billions. Once it was all over..."

He began to weep then, the tears coming freely. "I keep seeing it in my mind. Seeing it burn. Hearing my people sobbing and crying. I just...I just want my people to be happy again, to restore us. But even the ability to breed with our own people, our race's fertility was ripped to shreds by the virus they released...and no other race would take us in..."

"So you need...us. Humans." Ashton finished as the Caterpillar turned around, nodding softly with tear-stained cheeks as it crawled on top of the bed, lifting Daveigh up and curling itself around her, caressing her body like a lover.

"Will this hurt?" Daveigh found herself asking in a childish fashion.

The Caterpillar held her cheek. It didn't give any kind of answer to them, but she could feel the sadness through the body that held her. A cracked whisper finally came from his lips.

"No. But...I'm still so sorry. Don't think badly of me. It's just...I don't know how to show any other kind of mercy."

It held her cheek as the room began to dissolve away, and they found themselves in a dark cavern. On a nearby rock, most of her friends had been tied down in webs, her child in Tak's arms as the former wife of the Caterpillar cradled the sleeping little one, trying to be as gentle as possible with it. Mercifully, all of them were, well, "untouched"...

For now.

"I know you've had a bad day, but this will make you feel much better." The Caterpillar insisted, a sweet and drowsy smell emitting from the torches in the cavern that provided it with light, something odd was burning...something very odd. As every second passed, the smell grew stronger, and it became hard to think. It got into your brain, got into your blood...

Daveigh felt the ruler of the Kingdom of the Holy Irken Empire's warm tough as he gently rubbed her cheek with his hand. Suddenly her ensuing fate didn't seem so bad...

Wait...

"No. NO, you're _manipulating_ me." Daveigh murmured, pulling her head away as best she could, the webs slightly falling off as the Caterpillar nuzzled her cheek.

"A little, yes. But only a little. I pity you." He told her. "I want you to enjoy this." He cooed softly, his voice like the voice of a wood-pigeon from the high elms in an old garden at 3 o'clock in the middle of a sleepy summer afternoon.

But then it happened. In an instant, there was a wave that rippled through all of their minds, save for Ashton, Daveigh, King and Green. Within a few moments, they were suddenly made keenly aware of the truth. The truth beyond the truth.

The Caterpillar let out a horrified scream as he held his head, wailing, as Daveigh thought back to the frog, the Caterpillar sobbing madly. "What's going on?" She wondered as everything began to fade away, Tak placing the child back in it's crib as she and the others were released from the webs, deposited upon a grassy knoll as Tak sadly smiled at her before flopping to the ground, twitching, curling up in a ball as the Caterpillar continued to scream.

"NO! **NOOOOOOOOOO! WHAT HAVE I DOOOOOOONE!?**"

Junior and Green scrambled over to the others, the Cracked howling as it faded away into the shadowy forest around them, but though it was sobbing, it couldn't match the horror of the Caterpillar, and all looked on at him as the bloody, rust-covered legs began to twist and twirl, the Caterpillar wrapping himself in a giant cocoon of silk, his screaming slowly being muffled as more and more of him vanished into the web...

Finally, he was completely trapped, now a giant ball of silky silver that lingered on the grass, his scream slowly fading from the air as they heard faint weeping that finally died away, Daveigh turning to Ashton in surprise.

"Did...that just...really happen?"

"What...WAS that?"

"He realized what he truly was." Jess's voice whimpered out.

They turned their heads, seeing the blond-haired young child as it gazed at them with pond-colored eyes, tears brimming in them. "...and so...have I..."

They understood. Something had happened. Something in THEIR world that had affected THIS world, and now...now the inhabitants within had understood, for a brief moment, what it was that they were meant to be, what they OUGHT to be.

Jess ran, tears trickling down his cheeks as he rushed through the forest, Daveigh and Ashton running after him.

For in the little page's case...

It was a case...of what he could never be. No matter how badly he wanted.

And like the Caterpillar...he wished to die. He wished to end. It all. A hate crime.

...he hated himself.


	17. Fortitude and Fear

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"Life's getting too wishy-washy! Comic strips aren't supposed to end! Neither are good marriages!...or friendships. Or loyalties. Or happiness...happiness isn't supposed to just END..." Opus the Penguin_

17  
FORTITUDE AND FEAR

_"Hold on!" The grey-furred, almost human-eyed Experimental American yelled to the flailing form of Heartwing as he tightly gripped the "Five" on the enormous clock tower in Britain, dear old "Big Ben" itself. Heartwing scrambled not to let go, the sharp adamantium dagger still sticking through his wing as he gasped in pain, Alex shimmying down the clock face as HE stood tall atop Big Ben, knocking the villainess's grunts away._

"The dragon's yours. I've got "queenie" right where I want her." The red-furred, goggle-topped Experiment Grecian said proudly as he rushed forward, yanking down on a crimson-furred Experimental Lebanese citizen, who struggled to break free to no avail. Tiara, necklace, silken cloth and all she came tumbling down from the helicopter's ladder as HE pinned her to the ground, leveling his Simba-9 repeating plasma pistol at her.

"Savin' you is a round-the-clock job, mate." Alex wisecracked as he lifted Heartwing up to the roof, smiling at his boss. "See you've got HER under control!"

"The bomb. Where is it?"

"The clapper in the clock. I filled it with explosive gel. The impact against the bell as the clock strikes midnight will blow the tower and all of London Town to pieces...and us with it." She murmured, sweatdrops breaking out onto her forehead. "There's just no time..."

HE took off running, racing down the steps of the rooftop doorway that led to Big Ben's inner workings, seeing the bell begin to tilt back, the clapper rising...

"Midnight...I'M TOO LATE!" He gasped.

_**CLICK!**___

"HEY!" Judah yelled over at the green-furred, big-nosed, and antannae'd Experimental American as it adjusted the bandanna atop its head, ruby/maroon eyes staring intently at him and Izzy, the remote held up.

"That's THREE episodes of "ExpTales"." Zeri, Judah's brother said as he patted Ann's shoulder. "It's time for Ann's "Dragontales."

"Today will be a good day." Ann repeated in an emotionless voice, nodding calmly as sat at the couch, Judah sighing as he and Izzy left for their bedroom, Zeri giving Ann the remote as he snuck after the two...

"How'd you do it?" Judah asked his little "action figure" of the wonderful globe-trotting adventurer. He had ALL the goodies that came from the show so far...his collection was getting so big it was spilling out of his closet!

"I wrapped myself around the clapper to absorb the impact against my back, Judah von Hamsterviel. I had to shift around completely every second ring...I just wish there hadn't been twelve of them." The "action figure" spoke.

"Don't tell me you were afraid we weren't going to stop that ol' snake in the grass from making sure London Town wasn't blown down!" Izzy's "Alex" spoke as she waved it in the air.

"Nah, I could never be afraid with you around. You always find a way..." Judah said through his action figure, Zeri peeking in from the doorway, a slight smile spreading across his face as he chuckled, heading back down the steps to the kitchen.

Inside, Charles was making dinner for them all. He was the splitting image of his great-uncle...green eyes, brown hair tied into a ponytail, a firm and noble body...and he, like Uncle Charles, enjoyed wearing a green, vaguely Kimono-like outfit. After all, he was training to be "Rah", Chief of the Planet Jennet where the Muridean race, like his grandfather, came from. This meant he had to know how to fight. How to be diplomatic.

How to COOK.

"I'm thinking stir-fry tonight." Charles said calmly.

"Can't you cook somethin' more meatier than that? I'd prefer steaks. Big, juicy steaks."

"Sorry, cowboy. No steaks tonight. You need more veggies in your diet."

"...cowboys also eat ho-ho's." Zeri chuckled, reaching up to the cupboard, Charles whipping forward as the blunt end of his katana whacked Zeri's outstretched and gloved paw. "OW! GEEZ!"

"I said, NO! I'm in charge whilst mother and father are at the GFA Reunion." Charles ordered, waving a paw digit at his brother.

"Try that again, Charlie boy, and I shoot your ponytail off! AGAIN!" Zeri threatened, pulling open his jacket to show off HIS Simba-9. The slightly-thick-accented Experimental American/Irken citizen growled, with a voice gained by dozens of reruns of "HeeHaw", "Howdy Doody Time", "King of the Hill" and "Little House on the Prairie".

"We already HAVE a Charlie." Charles pawed at his ponytail, he was nervous again. "You can call me Charles, "Rah", "Chief", or "brother", but not Charlie, alright?"

"Sure, Chuck."

"...grumble-umble..." "Chuck" muttered as he looked through the fridge. Zeri chuckled to himself. He knew what would "defuse" his anger-was-a-hair-trigger brother.

_**"Bobby, I've got propane in my urethra."**__ Zeri said in a perfect imitation of Hank Hill, Charles laughing so hard he almost fell to the floor as Zeri headed for the fridge himself, looking for the needed ingredients he needed to help make the ribs for tonight._

"...hmm. We're out of barbeque sauce. Think we'll need to stop at the grocery store..."

"Can we come?"

Judah and Izzy had immediately snuck back downstairs, holding their wallets up, eager to purchase more "Exptales" toys from the Toy section at the Mega-Lo Mart. Charles let out a long, deep sigh.

"Alright. But you'd BETTER not fiddle around with the silly putty!" Charles insisted, waving a furry digit in the air at them. "Mrs. Hasagawa's hip STILL hasn't popped back in place!"

Well, the good news was that, well, they were good. Soon all of them were in line to buy their stuff as Izzy talked about her latest invention, something that was sure to change playtimes forever.

"See, once you get past the fourth level, you get an extra life, AND unlimited lasers!"

"Look, I think I've heard enough about ExpTales..."

"Chuckie, REALLY!"

"HRMPH!" Charles growled, folding his arms, growling in annoyance.

"I'm talking about my VIDEO GAME!"

"An ExpTales video game. Can't you, like, develop a cure for, say, _**Carpal Tunnel Syndrome**__?" The white-furred half-Muridean, Half Experimental American remarked._

KRAKKA-THROOOOOOOM! The wall to the Mega-Lo Mart was blown open as everyone gasped in surprise, staring at the black-cloaked dark being, who's soulless red eyes stared out at them all. It looked INTO them, seeing their fears, their flaws, their sins, feeding on all it could...

Ironically this being's body would later be hijacked by the very sort of being that sought to prey upon HIS kind in the name of protecting the beings that this cloaked one preyed on now. But for now...the one named Cloak stood proud and cold, chuckling as he spread his arms wide, his men moving through the store as they forced everyone to the ground.

"Just stay calm." Charles whispered. "Everything will be alright."

"It's rude to lie to family, Charles, my boy...everything will NOT be alright. What would be the fun in THAT?" Cloak spoke calmly, noticing Judah was stomping right up to him, waving a thick digit in his face.

"You ain't getting' away with this, creep!"

"Heh-heh. How very brave you are. It runs in your family, doesn't it?" The satanic thing chuckled.

"Any second now HE'S gonna come in and kick your gowned behind back to Bedlam." Judah swore.

"Ah, yessssss. No doubt my dramatic entrance triggered a silent alarm and the Son of the Dragon is on his merry way. I'm COUNTING on it for my escape. But in the meantime..." Cloak held a single finger to Judah's head, his touch like icy-cold maggots seeking to burrow in his forehead. "Let's test how truly brave you ARE, shall-"

"NOT TODAY, ZURG!" The Son of the Dragon roared out, Cloak whipping his head to the side to see several of his men tied up and with gags stuffed in their mouths as the red-furred Experimental American stood high, other men rushing at him. He calmly whipped around, his swords slicing at them. "Having a party? I guess my invite got LOST."

"Allow me to deal with this miscreant. Check this out, Judah...ONE PUNCH..." Charles chuckled, leaping through the air and bounding straight at Cloak, fist held high.

"No. You'll do naught but gasp for air as your heart skips a beat." Cloak said coldly, pulling out a small whistle and blowing it sharply.

"GAAAAH!" Charles gasped in horror, reeling away from the Son of the Dragon as the people in the grocery store all quivered in fear, the red-furred hero looking at his hands. "I'm...I'm TERRIFIED of you!" Charles realized in terror as he hid behind a magazine rack, Cloak giving off an air of pride.

"A special spell. The whistle emits a special frequency designed to affect the phobic centers of the brain. I've fine-tuned it to a very specific fear...the sight of YOU. Everyone in here is so afraid of you they'll do ANYTHING to get away...yourself included. Heh. Being afraid of yourself. I imagine you'd like to throw up right now. How pathetic." Cloak remarked, waving his hand dismissively in the air as he went to go untie his men, Judah and Izzy sneaking over to the spastic Son of the Dragon.

"Listen. Cloak said that people are scared of the SIGHT of you. I've got something here that could fix that." Judah admitted, pulling out something from the recyclable shopping bag he and Izzy had brought.

"Why...isn't...fear effect...working on...you?"

"You're the world's greatest treasure hunter. We could NEVER be afraid of you." Izzy insisted.

And soon, he was standing tall, tapping Cloak on the back of the shoulder as the being and his men turned around to gape at the sight...

"Heartwing" stood there, punching his fist into his palm. Or rather, the Son of the Dragon in a Heartwing costume, complete with head, gloves, boots and fake tail/wings.

"I'm sick of you playing with my MIND."

KRAKKA-THRUCKA-BOOOOOM!

"This thing was getting on my nerves. And now you're getting on my KNUCKLES." He finished up, punching Cloak through the air as Charles slammed a shopping cart down on the being's head, knocking him out for good as Judah walked over to him with Izzy. "Thanks, you two. I couldn't have done this without you..."

Looking over at Heatwave as she snapped her fingers and stepped away from the shrine, she left the room as Zeri put a light to HIS candle in Page's church, a silent, quiet look on his helmet-covered face as he sat back down in a pew, gauntlet-wearing paws folded in his lap. There were several shrines in the church now...one to each of the lost, and he'd put up one for his precious lil' siblings.

The quiet "cowboy" looked to the side at Page, who was folding up a large, crystalline blanket that his wife had made. "It's good that you came here." Page insisted. "Charles will be flying in soon to give a speech...I'm glad that in tragedy, we can be united. It saddens me that it had to be tragedy that brings us closer, though."

Zeri just nodded again. In the old West, the good guy was the one who spoke the least...and wore a white hat. He sighed as he picked up a nearby copy of "The Good Book", Page leaving the main hall and heading for his private room that he slept in, which was, conveniently, located on the second floor. Zeri couldn't help but wonder, though...that was a very large and heavy down comforter. True, everyone had their own little "thing" when it came to sleep. After all, **he** slept with a Gravity Nuke Cannon by his bedside, just on top of a copy of "Stuart Little".

Still, didn't Page get...well...HOT under all that?

Well, he didn't. Because it wasn't for him. Page tenderly placed the crystalline comforter over the sleeping form of Jess, feeling his essence being tugged back to the Looking Glass in his room's mirror. All of reality's boundaries were breaking down...people were being drawn to their opposites. But within Jess, Page could still see enough of himself.

"I know you lost it when you realized the truth. You didn't understand. But it's not too late. Have faith." He whispered to the sleeping Jess as the child curled up under the tree. "Hold hard. I know you gave up. But God's endless love is giving you a second chance."

...

...

...

...Heartwing had been forced to endure his other side's cruel taunts and pitiless mockeries. But he'd also learned a few things...like why there were no "nice dragons" around. Why the idea of a "civilized dragon" had been so surprising to Merrily, Former White Queen of Carolina.

Manhattan had, at one point, been the home of the Dragon Race, protectors of the Magical Realm. Just like in HIS world, the Dragon Council had made its home there, swearing to protect the innocent magical creatures through the Earth. Be they white, black, red, yellow, blue, green or chartreuse, it didn't matter. His kind had gained a noble purpose that fit their majestic spirit.

He had power. And it was BECAUSE he had power that he needed to protect.

...but nobody had been there to protect the dragons during the outbreak of "The Clutch".

The Clutch was an early stage of "The Infection", the same Infection that swept through the "Reversed" world and brought it to its knees. But the Clutch had, eventually, just...stopped. Destroyed. Pushed out of the gene pool by its bigger, badder cousin.

...too late for his kind. The island had been quarantined. What had, at one point, been one of the oldest-established Eastern urban centers in the United States of America was now nothing more than home to a dilapidated and decrepit ghost city. New York was no longer the Big Apple, it was now home to florid urban legends, brooding gothic spires and a swampy soil soaked with the blood of thousands of Draconic Americans.

Sari had always regretted the "No Man's Land" edict she'd issued which had quarantined the area. The Clutch had only appeared in that city, and if they contained it, the hope was they could, with time, find a way to get a vaccine out of the survivors. At least, that was the plan: wait for it to "run itself out" and then send in a couple dozen Hazmat teams.

But Sari always had her father's sense of gentlemanly concern, that spark of real humanity that meant sympathy for the needlessly suffering. Out of a sense of regret, the president had allowed a single bridge to lead out the city. Unfortunately, the exodus of Manhattan's draconic refugees resulted in tragedy. Fleeing citizens jammed the Brooklyn Bridge, and the weakened span collapsed under their weight, sending thousands to watery graves at the bottom of the miry river beneath...

Sari had seen the whole thing.

_What did she feel, _the dragon wondered , as Heartwing, The "World" of the Major Arcana, touched down on cold ground of scattered grey and black patches. He made his way past the wreckage of the Brooklyn bridge. He held his silver-tipped hands over his face, shaking his head back and forth as he looked around. He knew that many had wanted to try flying out, but thanks to the foul "Clutch" disease, the wings were the gripped tightly in the foul virus's hold...and clipped.

Unbeknownst to Heartwing, he now stood where Sari had bonded with Evanescence. Sneaking away from her Secret Service, she'd tried to wade into the river in an attempt to drown herself out of guilt. It had almost worked until the "Human" side of the Devil had taken pity on her and pulled her out, bonding with her that very day, ensuring Sari would never again lack the power to do what she wanted.

Heartwing stopped in place, gazing in horror at the scene before him. There, on a hill overlooking the ruins of the bridge, was an enormous rock, with a familiar, black and gold-scaled dragon hammered into the enormous slab. It's arms and legs were rusted-over stubs, it's face a mask of eternal sorrow and regret...the wings nothing more than ripped-apart shreds as hollow eye sockets looked sadly out, seeing nothingness. It looked almost like something had blown his eyes out from the insides...

It couldn't be...it just couldn't be...

It was Nightwing, experiment 561. His "brother". A deep, mournful feeling rose up in Heartwing as he felt tears come to his eyes, whipping away from the "crucified" Experimental American. How long had his brother been suffering like this? What monster had cut off his brother's hands and feet, screwing in metallic bonds to hold the black dragon tight?

Sadder still, 561 appeared to be weeping, bloody tears trickling down from the empty sockets, eternally crying. Whatever dark nobility had been in the draconic Experimental American's form was long gone, all that was left was a sad, mutilated figure.

"...I'm so, so sorry." Heartwing whispered, walking up to the Clipped 561, resting a hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes, shaking his head back and forth, leaving the still and silent 561 behind as he headed into a nearby apartment. Much to his relief, he found himself in what looked like the bedroom of, of all people, Haley Long. Not only that, just down the street was her grandfather's electronics store.

"Never had a customer, never had a sale." Heartwing chuckled quietly to himself as he looked around Haley Long's kitchen, entering her bedroom...

As the door closed behind him, effectively blocking out any sound from the front.

"...oh fuddyduddy." Heartwing murmured, glancing around the bedroom as he sniffed the air. What an odd, strange smell...smelled like...bloody and...metal?

Well, the bedroom had, at one point, been pristine. Pearly-white walls, a pink/purple roof and silken window curtains to match...all were torn, ragged...old and decrepit, like the city itself. Still, all things considered, the room wasn't overly messy, just...really, REALLY lived in.

He walked over to the desk, examining a pink-clothed diary and turning it open to the last pages, catching an entry, reading it with a heavy heart as his eyes slowly widened more and more with each sentence.

"_"There's no escaping this damn apartment, no escaping the island. We watched in horror as the fires grew, and our people found themselves crippled. Our wings are all clipped...our hope is gone. My brother...he was on the radio for so long, trying to inspire us...but now he's gone too. And Nightie...oh, if he knew what I had planned..._"

Heartwing shook his head back and forth. "Haley, no, don't...oh please, don't tell me you..." He whispered.

_"Everything keeps getting worse. The blood, the headaches, the screaming in my ears...and those bells. That strange, strange bells that we all keep hearing. Something is coming. It's hiding in the deepest shadows, waiting for me to falter. But I won't give it the chance to kill me. No, I won't give it that satisfaction. If anybody finds this...please, in the event of my death, I left my greatest treasure in my old school, in my old locker, A-1-1-3 on the first floor. I've got the key to it in my pocket. The rest is up to you. Forgive me, Mom. Forgive me Dad. Forgive me Grandpa. Forgive me, Sun. Jake...I'll be with you soon. And Nightie...please...remember I will always love you...the Moon that brightened the darkest skies..._"

There was nothing more. Heartwing's gaze was slowly drawn to the nearby closet.

_Well, if she put it in her pocket, the best place to look would be the closet,_ He deduced as he reached for the doorknob...

A stifling gasp escaping from the closet, the sound of something heavy tumbling, then beating on the inside of the door.

"Help...me..." The voice whispered out. "...help me..."

"Nightwing?!" Heartwing gasped in horror, putting his "ear" to the door, eyes widening.

"I can't feel my wings...I can't...can't feel my hands. I can hear it. I can hear her coming. She's so angry...help me. Help me..." His brother's voice whimpered.

Heartwing tried to swallow, but a lump in his throat almost made him choke. For a moment, the fear of the unknown THING that might be in there gripped him...

But then he shoved it down and ripped the door open.

A figure dangled in the closet, eyes bulging and bloodshot, cast downward because of the unnatural angle his head was set in. A thin black cord cut into her neck, letting small streams of blood to trickle down her midriff-exposing, faded pink t-shirt.

Haley Long. Age 22. Very...VERY...dead...

With a key in her shirt pocket.

Heartwing did NOT like the idea of frisking a dead person. Aside from being disrespectful, it was just plain creepy. Still, getting out of this place alive was higher priority than worrying about disrespecting the dead. And besides, once he'd gotten the key, he promised himself he'd bring Haley back to her beloved's side. They deserved to be together in death, even if they'd been separated in life.

He reached in, silver-tipped fingers brushing something cold. It was the key. He grabbed it and began to withdraw his hand from the coat pocket.

Almost too quickly, the once limp arm snapped to life, clenching cold, thin fingers around experiment 421's wrist as the green-scaled, silver-chest/bellied dragon sucked in a breath, willing himself not to cry out. His eyes shot from the hand to the face as its eyes rolled into the back of his head, exposing milky white ovals. Haley's mouth stretched open and closed, mouthing something almost unintelligible and inaudible..but he could hear it, just barely...

"HE...IS...WATCHING...YOU..."

With that, she let go, the arm falling limp, the eyes closing forever. Heartwing carefully tucked the key under his tongue, carefully concentrating as his pointer finger on his right hand became a claw, and he cut Haley down, tenderly holding her like a child as he carried her out of the room, bringing her down the street under a grey sky of quilted clouds as he tenderly rested her against the rock by Nightwing's corpse. Time to head for the school.

He turned around, heading back for the streets, making his way to PS: 117, heading inside for the first floor...as the tolling of a giant bell struck again, and again, and again.

GOOOOONNNNG...GOOOOOONNNG...

"Ugh...what...what the...?" Heartwing held his head, all consciousness slipping out of him. "Are you doing this?!" He yelled out at the Jabberwocky. "PLAY FAIR!" He roared, waving his arms in the air as he felt himself falling, falling, his cheek slamming into cold linoleum as he groaned, the bells continuing to toll. "Play...fair...dang you..."

He faded into unconsciousness, far away from the rock where his brother was trapped upon...unable to hear the unmistakable sucking sound like that of a being slowly sinking into mud, fading into a thick, foul, liquidy grave...

...

...

...

... Manifest Destiny let out a long yawn and cracked open the French doors of the balcony, letting the pale, dusky light illuminate what was in the room before him. Given the layout of the other buildings in the city, Manifest knew he should be looking out at the north end of Manhattan. But the room before him wasn't a living room of somebody's apartment, but a teacher's lounge on the top floor of the school, with a wheelchair haphazardly turned over in the middle of the room. A grotesquely stained by god-knows-what couch was placed against the wall and the metal walls and grated floor in the room (and, most likely, all through the school) were stained with rust, dirt, and blood.

He smiled over at the sleeping form of Heartwing, gently patting his head as the dragon let out a deep yawn, stretching his arms and legs as he rubbed his eyes, looking up at Manifest. "You? What're you doin' here?" He asked in confusion. "Where are we?" Heartwing asked as he regarded the room with disgust.

"Was that a rhetorical question or do I really need to answer it?" Manifest curtly asked, chuckling darkly, arms folded, shaking his head back and forth.

The door opened and a pair of normal blue eyes walked in, a cheery voice speaking as a sweet-looking brown-furred experiment waltzed in, wings like a rainbow, a smile on it's tender face as it's hair fell down in a thick tuft atop it's head. It wore a teal pair of shorts and had six arms, two clasped together, one on its hips, the other spread wide. "You're awake! As the Italians say, _Molto Bene_!"

_"It can't be...the "Devil" of the MA, Samael, "Venom of God"..."_ Heartwing murmured. He KNEW Samael. Ol Sammy had been something of a recluse to them. His mere presence in the world was one of silence and solitude as he sat atop his hill. He spoke almost primarily onto to their good friend Orion and to his fellow former archangels, but for the most part, all he did was look out over the sea, eyes seeing things that nobody could imagine, a life filled with things to mourn and regret eternally passing through his mind. Evil as a part of existence had been left behind for Earth, at least, in general...what use was there for the Prince of Lies now? Nothing but a lifetime of regretting what he'd done...and what he should have had the strength to do.

But this Sammy...this one was so gosh-darn-cheerful...and such an infectious smile!

"Uh...hello, Sammy." Heartwing said nervously.

"That's right, I'm Samael, Head Nurse of PS 117, or "Head **M**urse" as everyone calls me. But I don't think we've met." The brown-furred being remarked, scratching his head.

"Wait a tick." Heartwing interjected, "You seemed like you knew us a few moments ago, sir."

Sam took a step back as if afraid. "No. No! I don't know either of you." But his demeanor quickly changed and he became friendly again. "I do wonder how you got in here though. The door was locked from the outside."

"Well, we—" Heartwing began.

Manifest cut him off. "Where exactly are we?"

Sam chuckled delightfully. "Is that a rhetorical question or do you really want me to answer it?"

"OOOOCH. That was mean. He was LISTENING, I'll bet." Heartwing groaned as Manifest scowled.

"You're in the teacher's lounge, silly, at PS 117. I know it looks a bit...dilapidated. We've gotten a lot of complaints about the construction and the closed areas." He clasped all his hands together. "The GOOD news is that the contractor is coming to take a look at the doors with broken knobs." He spoke as if it were the hundredth time he had explained.

Sam glanced at the bed then cast a look at Manifest. For a moment, a dark expression overtook his features then it was gone. "I have to tend to some other…important business. REAL important." Sam smiled then headed back out of the door, leaving it open.

"Wait!" Heartwing stepped forward to chase his, but Manifest grabbed his arm.

"Don't go after him."

"You don't understand, he's a friend back from my world. I can REACH him, I can make him good, I have the power."

"I WENT...to PS 117." Manifest said quietly. "...I went to school alongside dragons, unicorns and ghosts. "Head Murse" Samael and his personal assistant were always patching my boo-boos up, and he took me to the hospital after I was playing with this kid named Charlie at Recess. We tried to climb the tetherball pole and..."

Manifest trailed off as a deep look of regret passed over his face, and for a brief moment, Heartwing heard the sound of a quickly-silenced scream as blood seemed to splatter over Manifest's hands, chest and face, making the dragon gasp. Manifest just looked down at him, rainbow eyes blinking in confusion as the blood faded away. "What?"

"...nothing." Heartwing said quickly. "Just...seeing things. So...Samael should...be DEAD?" He asked.

"He and SHE ought to be VERY dead." Manifest insisted. "His assistant Heatwave wrote to me after I left the school, sent me emails about how "The Clutch" was breaking out, how her boss wanted to stay and help..."

Manifest shook his head. He knew that somehow, Sam, the cheerful nurse that had cared for him for so long, had become nothing more than a pawn of the malevolent force behind Silent Hill. Despite looking normal, Sam was that same as every other monster he and the others had come across.

"We should try to get out of here. Immediately. " Manifest stated. "My Magic Music's still working fine, and if push comes to shove, my Redirection ability will aid us as well."

"You should stay behind me." Heartwing offered as he held up a hand, cupping it as a small ball of light energy pulsed in his palm. "The Light is foul to things that walk the dark path. Anythin' bad comes our way...POW! Right in the kisser!" He said as they went out of the room into the hallway.

Sure enough, the metal grating from the room continued out into the hallway. An intense darkness stared up at them from below the grates and watched them from the farthest corners of the shadowy hallway. Heartwing shone his little light around the hallway, scanning for any obvious signs of where they should go. They found a set of stairs, and opted to head that way rather than stay in the basement. They figured that if they were on the first floor, they had a better chance of escaping something dangerous as opposed to being in the confined basement. And as they climbed the stairs, the surroundings suddenly melted into a more normal existence.

"Phew! The walls are walls again, the floors are floors! No more metal, no rust...and no dang BLOOD!" Heartwing said happily as Manifest walked forward carefully, keeping his eyes open and ears perked. Staying at such a high level of alert had almost become second nature for him.

Which is why he couldn't understand how he didn't notice the small, decayed THING crawling across the ceiling. That is, until it let out a screeching, creaking howl, its head doing a perfect 360 in place, long fingernails digging into the roof as Heartwing gasped.

The little green dragon thrust the ball of light energy up, making it slam straight into the thing, knocking the Infected to the ground as it hissed and howled, a sizzling smoke rising up from its body. Manifest clenched his fist and growled. **_"I'll stop the world and MELT WITH YOU..._**

"NO!" Heartwing yelled out, eyes widening, arms shooting forward...

Too late. What had been an infected half-dragon was now seeping into black mist that dissolved away, Manifest frowning over at Heartwing. "Just be happy I've only killed ONE of them so far. Showing mercy to them is wasting your breath...and your compassion. They're not human. I'm sorry, but they stopped being human a long time ago." He told Heartwing, moving down the hallway stairway to the first floor...

But it was blocked off by a large, iron grating. Manifest cleared his throat, opening his mouth to sing when Heartwing grabbed his arm, pointing at a sign nearby.

"QUIET IN THE HALLS."

"...I think we'd better just find a nice, quiet key." Heartwing suggested. "I gotta BAD feeling about us doing anything loud..." He whispered.

Shrugging and sighing, Manifest headed back upstairs with his "partner" and into a nearby office...

The PRINCIPAL'S office, of all things.

"Check the shelves for any keys." Manifest directed as he sat down at the desk. Heartwing immediately began to peruse various files, cupboards, and hollowed-out textbooks on the shelves, taking note that whilst the principal had a lot of liquor stored away, there were no keys...

Manifest trifled through the desk then settled on rummaging through the papers scattered on the desk. Underneath it all, he found a permanent record with the name _Haley Long_ written across it. Opening it, he found the entry from the night that the virus had broken out. There had been a lot of panicking, and Haley had organized a concert to get everyone to relax and calm down in the midst of the outbreak. Good ol' gal, Manifest thought to himself.

"Did he play Nickleback?" Heartwing asked, reading over his shoulder.

"Heh. Loser. You like Nickleback."

Samael's voice jolted them into reality as the brown-furred being shook his head back and forth. "But poor musical taste aside...what're you doing in the principal's office?" He inquired a look of contempt etched into his soft features. He stood in front of the door, looking as if he wanted to charge them, but instead, he held his ground, blocking the door.

"Where IS the principal? Where'd the students go?" Heartwing pointedly questioned.

"I don't know."

"Really?" Manifest said, cocking his eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're doing at the principal's computer, but I'm calling security."

"There's no "security" around here, only monsters. Don't you understand what's going on?" Heartwing asked.

Sam scoffed, "Ha! Monsters? There's no such thing. This is a hospital." He spun on his heel. "Security will be her in a few moments. It would be in your best interest to leave while you still can."

"Is that a **threat,** Sammy-boy?" Manifest asked darkly.

Sam opened the door and cast a look over his shoulder. "No..." he replied, "It is an inevitable truth." He quickly closed the door behind his, leaving the two feeling slightly uneasy.

"I'm thinkin'...we leave. Like, NOW." Heartwing suggested, plucking something off the fan's pull cord which was hanging some distance above his head...a key. A big, iron key.

He led Manifest out and back to the first floor, using the key on the iron grating as it swiftly dissolved away into nothingness, making the dragon shudder as Manifest walked up to the locker with ITS key, putting it in...

Well, it worked. The locker swung open, revealing a parcel inside. But before he could reach inside to get it, there came a sound. The sound of a hundred feet all running, running. All towards THEM. They turned their heads...

Children. Children even younger than the ones before, all wearing hoodies, halting some distance from them as they held aloft sharp knives, swaying slightly back and forth as...

Something...

Dribbled out from the dark recesses of the hooded sweatshirts they were all wearing to splatter on the floor.

Something that looked a lot like black tar.

"We don't want to fight you." Heartwing said gently, raising a hand up.

"Squeak louder, I don't think they heard you." Manifest said coldly as the hooded children rushed forward, knives slashing as Heartwing and Manifest leapt about, Heartwing leapfrogging over several of the kids whilst Manifest grabbed two of them by the head, SMASHING them together and tossing them to the side.

"Hey! Quit it! You don't gotta be so VIOLENT!" Heartwing insisted, clenching his fist as a silvery-white bubble encased a large load of the children, forcing them into the air and above the floor as he ducked to avoid a knife-swipe to the back of the head.

"Be they pawns or willing servants of Samael, they're still after our blood." Manifest reminded Heartwing gently, getting another in a headlock and throttling it.

"Lose that attitude, I've got no need for it! This is the one place where we need to stick to fighting the RIGHT way, in a place where it truly matters! We can't sink to that level, we can't be that weak!" Heartwing insisted as he held back another of the children, tying it to a nearby discarded chair with tight bonds of light energy.

But then...suddenly...it all began to go wrong. Heartwing gasped as the child in the hoodie he'd been holding tight to the chair began to...DISSOLVE. The CLOTHES were dissolving along with it into some kind of disgusting goo, that smelled like burnt tobacco left out in the sun too long, and Heartwing clasped his hands over his mouth.

"They're...they're all..." He whispered, seeing the others in the bubble beginning to melt away as well.

"They're losing their energy. Burning out." Manifest said, eyes widening. "But then again, these creatures are only symptoms of the real disease. If you want to deal with them and think your kindness will cure them..."

A sad look flickered over his face. "...I wish you luck."

With that, he took off running, following the flash of rainbow light down the hall. "Time to see the NURSE." He growled as Heartwing dodged another punch from yet another melting-away hoodie, the others surging forward.

"Yes! Say YES to life! It isn't necessary for you to die! You can have full and useful lives if you'll let me help you! You can save yourselves! Look at MANIFEST, HE'S from this world and HE has a real life! So can you!" He insisted, grabbing one by the chest, yanking the hood back. "SO CAN-"

Underneath...was nothing. Nothing but a disgusting, black, muddy glob of rotten flesh, decayed eyes with rotting maggots looking out as a mouth filled with oozing black tar gurgled pitifully.

"You're...not...alive..." Heartwing whispered, backing away from the hoodies as they began to melt away into a disgusting oozy puddle. "You never were...oh GOD, I'm...I'm gonna-"

He ran into the nearest classroom, grabbing the nearby trash can.

**BLLAAAUURGGGHHH!**

Chuckling. Dark, pitiless chuckling. Slowly, Heartwing turned his head, eyes widening at the pitiless being that now began to crawl out of a slowly-opening, bloody sore that made up the twisted metallic "flesh" that began enveloping the room. Turning a faceless head to gaze around the room slightly as chalk scraped down the nearby blackboard, the Jabberwocky softly laughed, the splotchy black patches on its skin pulsing like thick pools of pus waiting to burst.

"You don't like it here, I take it? Don't like my students? They're such models of obedience. Never think about misbehaving. Of course...they never think at ALL." The Jabberwocky said as some of the slime that he was emerging from in the walls sloughed out onto the ground below, beneath the words "Homework Assignment: One Million Words on the Death of all that is Holy" which were written on the chalkboard. The new hooded thing rose up, swaying back and forth, mumbling...

"I can't...can't find mummy...can't find mummy..."

"No." Heartwing gasped as more and more began to rise. "Stop, please. Not like this. Don't do this to them." He begged as more and more began to rise up. "STOP! Why are you doing this?!"

"I **can.**" It said calmly, it's wings shooting forward, a sickening KRUNCHA-THRUCK sound splitting the air as he impaled the things through their chest, and what had been, at one point, innocent schoolchildren sloughed down the wings to fall into puddles of goo on the floor as Heartwing felt tears spring to his eyes.

"YOU **MONSTER!**" He screamed.

"They DO know how to show a dragon how to have a good time. LET'S GO AGAIN." The Jabberwocky chuckled, launching itself at Heartwing, the green scaled dragon punching the Jabberwocky in the side of the head. "Heh, how brave..."

"YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"How cliché. And sadder still, you don't recognize the most clichéd type of shadowy ally as being the greatest threat. You really think your little white-haired friend wants to HELP you? You really think he "wants you on his team"?" The Jabberwocky chuckled darkly as he batted Heartwing into the wall. "NOBODY wants you, Heartwing. You would know. You've always been so HONEST with yourself!" He cackled.

Meanwhile, Manifest had found Sammy sitting in the cafeteria, looking down at his reflection in the mirror. Manifest gingerly reached out and touched his shoulder. "Sam?"

"Damn them...damn them all..." The "Devil" growled. "I tried to be a good nurse. But the day the Clutch broke out was the day it all went to hell! The work drove me insane and it drove HER away!" He hissed, whipping around, snarling at Manifest.

"I'm not the one responsible for what happened. What you did was **noble**, you didn't deserve-" Manifest began to say gently, Samael smacking his reached-out hand away.

"DAMN YOU TOO!" He snarled. "YOU KEPT ENCOURAGING ME TO STAY! TO BE A "HERO"! I've wanted to kill you for so long...now I'll get my perfect wish..."

Manifest stepped back, holding up his fists as Samael lunged at him, and the world around him began to melt and dissolve into a black, tarry substance. He struggled to free the psychopathic being's hands from around his throat, as the world began to become black...

And cold...

...

...

...

...it slowly began to let out pained gasps, one at a time, it's long-dead heart returning to beating once more.

It looked out...

It saw.

It wanted the light.

...it wanted it so _bad_...

**ALTERNATE ENDING**

-  
**"CRADLE OF FOREST"**

"Do you really think you've got even a prayer against me?" The Jabberwocky said, it's voice like rotten meat sliding off the end of a butcher's meat hook. It dug it's long, razor-sharp claws into Heartwing, the black splotches on it's skin tingling with anticipation, eager to claim more flesh.

"I HAVE to." Heartwing growled back, headbutting the pitiless thing in the head, forcing it back as he forced the thing higher and higher up a stairway to the roof, the sky splitting apart. With powerful punches, Heartwing and the Jabberwocky fought and fought, the Master of the Obscured proving an even match for the World of the Major Arcana.

Yet with each punch, a piece of the world went missing, all of reality slowly fading away as Heartwing gripped his cast-off self's claws with his own, eyes a glitter with dark light.

"Why do you PERSIST." The Jabberwocky hissed. "You know it's pointless. In this world, the formula is simple. Evil wins."

THWOCKA-CHUD! He knocked Heartwing back to the edge of the roof, the streets below giving way to an endless, swirling mass of spiralling black and white, all colors fading from the world.

"EVIL is stronger than good in this world!" It hissed, digging it's claws into Heartwing's chest, blood dribbling down it's opened-up face like drool.

"Evil is NEVER stronger than good. We'll NEVER let you win, no matter HOW long it takes. The best you can hope for...is a tie." Heartwing said, his hand shooting up and grabbing the thing's neck as he smiled almost sadly."I feel terrible...I just wanted to see my family again...and Heatwave'll be so dissapointed in me. I hope she can forgive me...I hope my little ones will forgive me."

With a pull of his leg muscles he launched himself off the roof, closely pulling the Jabberwocky to him as he clenched his eyes shut tightly, the two dropping down, down, into the swirling endless abyss of white and black.

"_I love you all so much..._"

...

...

...

..._ "He'll never survive the way he is now." The Patron Saint said softly, cradling the infantile form in his claws as he looked down at the life that had been born into this new world. "...he needs my help. He'll need my heart to focus him, and to help remind him of what he once was, and should strive to be."_

"Can you really spare more of it?" His beloved asked gently.

"...I've not got a choice. It's for his sake. He is now flesh and blood to us...and you don't give up on family."

He awoke, blinking slowly, moving forward, the transformation slowly overtaking him. What had been black became emerald eyes glittering, silver pupils gazing out at the world. He rested a hand that had lost it's claws on his cheek, ...nice skin...fairly pale but soft...gentle...

Where...where was he?

...who was he?

He could vaguely remember something about dragons...

...dragon. Draco. Latin. Latin was such a beautiful language...

"Why am I thinking about that? What...what is this place?"

He glanced around the dark expanse before him. Nowhere to go but forward, he decided, moving out of the place of his birth. It was time to leave the cradle. He wanted answers.

One day, he would get them.

...one day.

**_There deep  
Deep in the forest night  
Children dance the waltz  
They laugh  
Whispering hand in hand  
Just like children like to do  
Their eyes  
What are they looking for?  
White dress flutters the beat  
Their song  
Starting to make some sense  
Only if you're listening..._**

Dance  
Dance like butterflies  
Shadows appear  
Right before my eyes  
Sounds  
Echo the absurd  
Hard to explain  
Something that I heard

Now  
Hear the forest talking  
Insects and birds  
Does the scent of soil and beast  
Breathe the life into the animal you hide  
It's a great illusion  
One never knows  
When you think you're really alone  
Feel the eyes of someone looking in on you

Again  
See how the children play  
Red moon colours the trees  
Their feet  
Innocent rustling sounds  
Playful, dreamlike fantasies

Dance  
Dance like butterflies  
Shadows appear  
Right before my eyes  
Sounds  
Echo the absurd  
Hard to explain  
Something that I heard

Now  
Hear the forest talking  
Insects and birds  
Does the scent of soil and beast  
Breathe the life into the animal you hide?  
It's a great illusion  
One never knows  
When you think you're really alone  
Feel the eyes of someone looking in on you

Now  
Hear the forest talking  
Insects and birds  
Does the scent of soil and beast  
Breathe the life into the animal you hide  
It's a great illusion  
One never knows  
When you think you're really alone  
Feel the eyes of someone looking in on you

Hear the forest talking  
Insects and birds  
Does the scent of soil and beast  
Breathe the life into the animal you hide  
It's a great illusion  
One never knows  
When you think you're really alone  
Feel the eyes of someone looking in on you...


	18. Illuminating the Obscured

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"Remember me, and your true self as well. Also that which you must become. The one who will lead us to Paradise with blood-stained hands..." Claudia Wolf _

18  
ILLUMINATING THE OBSCURED

"A recessive gene has resulted in unique coloration...no, that's not IT!"

The white-furred, golden-eyed handsome beast whacked the side of his head as he sat outside of the pearly, crystalline palace that was his Lord's home. He, his right hand, had called for someone very special to come visit Senkoukura, the Lord of Flame and Light, ruler over Niihau, Hawaii...the mighty draconic being was having...a personal crisis. He was good at keeping his inner turmoil from spilling out for others to see, but it was obvious to anybody who really knew him that he was suffering. He needed help.

Then again, they ALL needed help. Self-doubt and confusion was striking the people of Earth. Fear and uncertainty gripped their hearts as they struggled to try and remember what they'd forgotten. "I KNOW it's not a recessive gene, what IS it, I...I can't...remember..." Makani murmured softly, almost pleadingly. "Why can't I remember my Mother's name? Why can't I remember when I first met Daveigh? Why can't I remember why I stay here?"

A blond-haired human child approached, his face like a fresh breath of air, blue eyes filled with innocent twinkling and a smile bright as the sun. He gave Makani a cheery handshake, grabbing silver-tipped fingers suddenly, then pulling him in for a little hug before he walked past him, up the marble staircase and past the pearly gates into the mighty hall.

"Well, THAT felt good." Makani said cheerily, resting against the enormous steps as Charlie walked up to the pearly throne of the ruler of Niihau, giving "lil' Chibisuke" a big hug.

"It's Super Chuck! Duh-duh-duh-duhhhh! With the ability to stave off ooky feelings with a single hug!" Charlie laughed. "See, ya don't gotta have big muscles to be a superhero. Or wear tights."

"I swear, "Sun", you're just the person to cheer me up." Senkoukura said, slowly shrinking back to his "normal", "Chibi" size as he and Charlie walked the halls of his palace, several dejected and depressed-looking human and Experimental American guards waving. Charlie gave them each a hug, all of them perking up as Chibisuke nodded in approval. "Just the person to cheer my charges up as well!"

"Page says children are God's teddy bears. So we gotta share the love!" Charlie reasoned. "But how come you're all down and depressed and stuff?"

"I'm beginning to forget things." Chibisuke murmured. "I can't remember when my father first held me in his arms...I can't remember when I first became ruler...it's like...it's like I can't remember any farther than a year back!"

Charlie scratched his head. "Funny...I can remember things just fine! Why don't you ask me whatcha wanna know, I'll go write it all down!"

"So YOU remember..." Chibisuke rubbed his chin. "...I wonder...could ALL the Major Arcana remember?...what else about our world is changing? I'm..."

The realization was sudden...but quiet. Simple. And somehow, sad.

"...I'm afraid." He realized. "...I don't know what's going to happen next, and I'm afraid. And the more my father is gone, the worse I feel. It's like..." He gesticulated with his hands, his voice becoming more quiet, frightened. "It's like he was the Heart of us all. He was our Moral Compass, and now with him gone, we've tried to recreate it, but all we've got is a metal cup, some water, a needle and a refrigerator magnet!"

"THAT'S an interesting mental piccy, there." Charlie chuckled. "Hey, don't worry, things tend to work out just fine. I doubt things will change too much, "looking glasses" or not."

"I CAN'T REMEMBER WHO MY OWN MOTHER IS!" Green screamed as she held her head in her hands, Junior gently holding her to him as she wept openly, Josef sitting nearby at the carnival grounds as he sipped on some lemonade. For some reason, this scene was leaving a bad taste in his mouth. "Junior, what's going on? What's happening? I remembered Nick...why can't I remember who my mother is? All I know for sure is that I'm Grey's child, but beyond that..."

"No childhood memories at all?" Junior asked softly. HE remembered perfectly. Why couldn't she? It was so...strange. "There must be a reason for this."

"I wonder if the others are feeling this too." Green murmured softly as she clung to her husband. "...I don't think there's any feeling that's worse than realizing you don't remember your own parents."

"I'm here." Junior insisted as he nuzzled her cheek. "Green, I won't forget you, no matter what. Please, PLEASE try and be comforted by that."

"...I don't know if it's enough this time." She whispered, holding a hand to her mouth and closing her eyes to block back the tears. "I don't know what's happening to me...I just don't know...and I don't understand..."

...

...a rippling moon in normally still water, tall reeds by the water rising up, silvery/green in the dark of night. The land around Grey Nicholas Pelekai stretched out, the brook babbling softly past stretches of open grass...he took the scenery in carefully, lying in wait, black eyes glittering like cold stones, the green tint at the bottom of these stones turned feral and wild. His fur bristled, unrectractable black claws digging into the tree he was hiding behind...he was on the hunt tonight. He'd not eaten any meat in a week, and he'd been forced to BURY the lamb chops...

He wanted REAL food. Icees only went so far!

There. A wild deer...a strong male youth from the looks of it. It was walking alongside the brook, heading further down. Quickly, Grey climbed further into the tree, vanishing as he hung upside-down, keeping far out of sight. The deer ambled by, heading further down the brook, to a prettier section where a spring rose and formed a small trickle that fed out into a nearby pool. Within that trickle weeds were waving like hair, back and forth, slowly...slowly...

Slowly, he descended from the tree, slinking along the ground on all fours. The earth below him felt fertile, damp and full, flowers and reeds pressing against his hands as he readied himself. On his own count, he told himself. It was a simple task. Leap, dig your teeth into his neck, let the venom surge through. The deer would be blissfully dazed and helpless and free to swallow up.

_You'll be a good meal, young deer._ He thought to himself. _I just hope he doesn't start to cry. I can never bring myself to eat them when they-_

Wait. Hold on.

...VOICES?

"Good evenin'!" A kind of up-and-down voice sounded out from the brook, something emerging from the water to look at the deer. A whole snake's head, just up to the neck.

Was it the neck? It got so hard with snakes. Sometimes he wasn't even sure with KING where his neck was...

Wait, why was a snake talking with a deer?

"I've just been talkin' to ol' Chester here!" The water snake said cheerily, bowing its head down at a little black thing nearby, the deer turning to look down at it as well as it bowed its head respectfully. "He said he's been keeping a reaaaal close eye on you-know-who lately. The great big ham ain't even noticed him yet!"

"Ham, or clown?" The deer inquired, chuckling at this private joke. "I mean, those pants..."

"Humans can be so...strangely eccentric, wouldn't you say?" Chester said.

The CRICKET said.

"_What._" Grey gaped inwardly, stiffening as rose up, pointing a black claw at the cricket, the deer nonchalantly turning around, "huh-ing" at the sight of Grey, the water snake just "shrugging" as Chester waved.

"Hi there! Chester Cricket at your service, Mr. Pelekai. This is Walt, and that's Daniel."

"...you're a cricket." Grey managed to get out.

"...I was hoping for something more along the lines of "Nice to meet you"." Chester remarked.

"A CRICKET. I'm talking to a cricket." Grey held his head in his hands, pacing back and forth. "Oh God, I've gone insane. I knew it, I KNEW it, all those years foraging in the woods, digging through people's trash, I WAS insane, it wasn't just the language barrier dropping, it was my sanity losing its grip too!"

"You're PERFECTLY sane, sir." Walter said comfortingly as he slithered alongside him. "We've been watchin' you for a while now! Well, CHESTER has. You're the only one who can speak to us, you ARE the "Strength". You've got more in common with the Natural World than anybody else on the island! And you SMELL like it too, ha-ha-ha, ho-ho-ho, har-har-har!"

"And all reality's kind of going upside-down at the moment." Daniel added. "Why, just yesterday, a pure-white deer emerged from a strange, glassy thing and looked right at me!"

Grey stiffened. "...it...it came through...to HERE?" He whispered. "...is it STILL here?"

"No, no, but it comes through every night! I'm heading back to where I saw it. Would you like to come with? It stays longer every night!"

Grey's mind began to piece two and two together. "This is bad. This is VERY bad." He began pacing even further as the deer led him and the others into the forest. "Don't you see? It's no longer one-way! We haven't just opened a window, we opened a doorway into a "Reversed" world, where the worst of us resides! And when THEY realize it's a door, and that there's a whole other world out HERE..."

"They'll come through?" Chester finished. "Why?"

"They're not nice." Grey said. "They're not kind. They're not moral. They don't CARE about the fate of this world. They'll take it from us. I know my other self would do it in a heartbeat..."

His other self. He felt ashamed. How had something like THAT come from someone like him, even if that being was "what he wasn't"? Worse still...

"And this is my fault." Grey realized, stopping suddenly. "...I was trying to reach them, and all I did was crack the opening even wider. This is my fault."

He slammed his fist into his palm. "...and I have to fix it."

"Bilbo Baggins started it, and he'd better finish it!" Walt quoted, laughing slightly.

"Shut up or I eat you!"

...

...Manifest finally tugged himself free of the blackness, finding himself surrounded on all sides by torn and rotting hospital beds, tattered curtains and massive bloodstains splattered all over the once-pristine pearly white floor. He beheld the being before him as THEY emerged from the halls, dragging pipes on the floor, some waving them overhead...

Hellion Nurses. A lot of them. Half walking, half strutting, all foul and smelling or burnt and rotting flesh behind the covered-up faces, their single, slit black eyes gazing balefully at him.

"Yet another reason why I've never been in a hospital in years. I just HATE these sexualized outfits." Manifest mumbled as he ducked and jumped away, avoiding the pipe swings as he punched several of them down before spinning around, kicking one squarely in the face, the pipe flying through the air. He jumped up and grabbed it, angrily slamming one into the body of a nearby Hellion Nurse, sending it to the ground.

To make sure it STAYED down, he brought his foot up and with a sickening, meaty CRULCHA-THWULK, the head was broken open like a rotten egg, yellow stuff leaking out to the floor below...like yolk. Yolk...

"All you gotta do is cut these chicken's heads off." Reversed Samael mocking voice came from the dark recesses of the hallways these things were slowly emerging from. Manifest angrily snarled, shoving one of them aside as he leapt over another one's body. It tried to reach for him...too slow. He was not going to be stopped. These things were a distraction. He wanted the true enemy.

_"Stop HIDING from me! Come out!"_ Manifest thought angrily, tossing the pipe away as he began to whistle, a low, dark, rhythmic tune as his pace became quicker, his eyes becoming lit with furious intent. He was getting tired of being jerked around like this. The "Devil's" power would be his. He needed it. He had to save this world...

Speaking of "World"...

"MURDERER!" Heartwing yelled out, punching the Jabberwocky in the face with a sickening KRA-KRACH as he slammed his other fist into the thing's gut. "You think being a killer is something to be PROUD of?! What's the point of your cruelty? What is the POINT of you!?"

"For _pleasure._" The Jabberwocky said coldly, grabbing Heartwing's hand and flinging him back, knocking him into a bookcase as several copies of "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" came crashing down over his head. It let out a snarling, hissing roar, and sprayed a vomitous belch of bloody rust from its fanged maw, Heartwing quickly erecting a shimmering pearly-white shield up as the Jabberwocky continued to drench him. "You disgraced me. No more."

"You disgrace yourself, becoming a monster. We were meant to be more. You COULD have been more. But you gave in. And because of that...I'm not afraid of you." Heartwing said softly, sadly as he spread his wings out, the shield shooting forth and slamming hard into the Jabberwocky, knocking him to his knees as the World of the Major Arcana approached. "I will never be afraid of you."

"No. But I know what you ARE afraid of." The Jabberwocky said with a small, cruel smile as he raised a talon high and dug into its own chest. The flesh began to surge and burst, and like a dam bursting from the levee, it came forth...

THEY came forth.

"Chi...bi? Ezzie?" Heartwing whispered, eyes widening in horror as his children rushed forward at him, smacking him to the ground, Chibisuke pinning him down as Esmeralda raised a pointed nail, coldly digging into his forehead. "GAAAAAAH! STOOOP!"

"Take your time, children. He's not going anywhere. And he'd never, EVER hurt the ones he loves, not even when they're puppets of someone like me." The Jabberwocky said coldly, slinking back into the dark recesses of the shadows, the black tar slowly swallowing him up as he turned around to coldly smirk at Heartwing as he left the dilapidated room.

"You're just RUNNING?! I'll get out of this somehow!" Heartwing promised, knocking the two "children" back as they held him by his arms, keeping him from chasing after the Jabberwocky. "I WILL find you! I WILL stop you!"

"It does not matter if you try. You've already lost. Maybe I'll go pay a visit to Heatwave..." The Jabberwocky mused coldly, Heartwing feeling a burning rush of fury like hot, liquid fire shooting through his veins. "Yesssss...ALWAYS fun hooking up with an old girlf-"

It came so naturally. In an instant, the flame shot forth, white-hot, pearly in color and searing like the heat from a thousand fresh-from-the-fire cattle prods. It struck the Jabberwocky's opened-up face, embedding with a satisfying TWHULA-CHUNK as silvery/black blood dribbled down its face, a howl of pain rising from its mouth as Heartwing knocked "Chibisuke" and "Esmeralda" away, pointing accusingly at the Jabberwocky.

"I WILL stop you! I'LL FIND A WAY!"

"This...changes...nothing." The Jabberwocky hissed. "You are still trapped. You have...no...hope..."

And with that, it vanished fully into the darkness as Heartwing turned to face down the rising, decaying forms of his undead "children".

"...it's not them, it's not them, it's not them..." He kept repeating to himself.

But he didn't really believe it.

...not really.

...

...Israel von Hamsterviel added the final compound to her newest chemical weapon. It got boring, just using lasers to cut into enemy troops...and Yurp was sending in further and further troops. There was a flurry of patriotic spirit rising in the people as the "news of Carolina's atrocities" reached the Red Queen's people. They felt the need to avenge themselves and had pushed Lewistania and Carolina's forces back.

Now YURP was on the offensive, and the Red Queen was ecstatic. Why, she hadn't been this cheery since she'd pushed her brother out that window and heard the satisfying "SPLUSCHA-SLASH" sound that indicated he'd landed head-first in the moat. She'd been in such a good mood that she'd married Oskar on the front steps of City Hall, spending what SHOULD have been state workers vacation pay to pay for a hefty catering service her mother recommended.

All these new Yurpeans entering the war was an issue that the White King felt the need to fix.

Hence the beginning of something disgustingly sinister and ingenious that Kualili had thought up.

The Mad Hatter sighed deeply as he entered the room, holding a hat aloft in the light of Ms. Izzy's new laboratory. He seemed so...old.

"I've got it." He said. "It took me a while to sneak one away, but I did it." He reached into his hat and tugging out a small, silvery/pearly key that he put in Izzy's paw as she frowned, putting the goggles back atop her forehead, growling slightly.

It wasn't that it looked unpleasant. It wasn't that it smelled bad. There was just some nameless, hateful feature about this thing, like a hidden flaw that was obvious only to those with trained eyes. It was...it was EVIL. This thing radiated evil intent.

"This is really "it"?" She asked. "The Key to Heaven?"

The Key to Heaven. It was given to...younger inductees. Poorer inductees. Josef, mercifully, had yet to report any Gypsies gaining them, HIS people were too valuable, but those from the wrong sides of the tracks? They were disposable.

"It's pure madness. They give these kids the keys and put slogans into their heads..." The Mad Hatter sat down, putting his head in his hands. "They make them think Heaven is a thousand times better than Disneyland and send them out...thousands of them get blown up on the minefields, those keys around their neck." He sighed deeply. "...it's disgusting. DISGUSTING."

"What sick mind came up with this?" Izzy mumbled.

"I'm surprised you aren't impressed with it. I thought you were an evil genius." The Mad Hatter admitted as he tipped his hat upside down, a cat, several decks of cards, a copy of "Horny Potter" and a few mason jars filled with jelly plunking out. "This is the work of an insane mastermind."

"I might be a mad scientist, but I'm not full of SHIT!" Izzy snapped angrily. "I have an AGENDA, and it doesn't involve lying to five year olds in loincloths!" She seemed genuinely hurt. "_Forshke!_ People like you always assume we don't have feelings just because we don't always apply moral principles to our actions!"

She tossed the key against the wall and it shattered into a thousand pieces, a vaguely "tinkling" noise striking through the air like a small bell breaking as she whipped away, folding her arms across her chest, blinking back tears. "..._I'm not a monster._" She mumbled softly. "And I'm gonna have a talk with him." Izzy swore out loud, stomping out of the laboratory as the Mad Hatter nervously ran after her. He had a bad feeling about this, but he wasn't going to just let her face their new boss alone. But what he didn't know...was somebody else was watching them.

"Oh no. This won't do." It said, folding its arms and shaking its head back and forth. No, this simply wouldn't do at all. Luckily, it had ways of dealing with the White King's unwanted company. He calmly strode forward, eyes flickering as he walked alongside the threesome, smiling to himself as they stopped.

"Wait...what were we...?" Izzy scratched her head. "...um..."

Her stomach growled. "...cafeteria! Let's go eat together." She decided, heading in a different direction as the thing blew imaginary dust off its pointed nails. A little bit of the right stuff and they never noticed a thing. People could be so forgetful...they never paid attention to the little things, and didn't notice the big things until it was too late.

And it would soon be FAR too late for them all...

...

...it concentrated hard. This wouldn't take too long if all went well. It had forgotten for so long why it existed...

Now it remembered. Now it would make things right.

It focused long and hard, and in an instant, the building that Manifest and Heartwing had found themselves in began to shake madly, "Chibisuke" and "Esmeralda" being knocked to the ground as Heartwing lowered the shield he'd had around him, panting slightly. He'd had it up for so long and yet they hadn't stopped pounding away, despite his pleading...

Now they WERE stopping...

Now they seemed...afraid of him. Their eyes widened, they began crawling away from him in fear.

_IN FEAR._

With a horrified cry, they ran from the room, Heartwing raising a silver-tipped hand up as he prepared to chase after them. "Wait, please, I'm not going to hurt-"

There was a horrifying, sickening squelching noise as Heartwing stiffened. He turned his head to see a sign on the wall...now stained with fresh blood that dripped down onto a shelf filled with stiffened animals.

"No running in the halls."

In any other place, that sign might have seemed absurd. But here...

Heartwing gulped, slowly moving out into the hallway, the stench of blood filling the air as he carefully made his way closer and closer...

And then, just as soon as it had come, it was gone. All that was left were two fleshly lumps that lay flat on the ground, discarded like cigarette ash.

He didn't want to get any closer. All he could think was how cruel it had been to just bring his children to life only to...

...walking quickly, he turned around, heading for the door as he clenched his fists tightly. He knew where the Jabberwocky had went. He knew becusae he WAS him, or rather, was NOT him. He knew the one place where he'd be.

The stairway to the roof was not difficult to find. A big sign pointed it out, along with the instruction that "no students were allowed" up there. He carefully creaked the door open, remembering the "Quiet in the Halls" sign as he inched up the stairs, pushing the door open. He was soon greeted by a familiar sight...

Himself. Or rather, NOT himself. "He" was sitting on the edge of a city that now seemed to have been restored to life, traffic lights flickering on and off as the stars gently twinkled overhead in tune. The occasional beep of a car horn and the chattering of voices and pitter-patter of sneakered, taloned and hooved feet filled the air, human and magical creature freely walking amongst dragonkind, as the moon cast a beautiful reflection against the river across the way.

"Take a look at this place. It was once beautiful. Now it just reflects what it used to be. Much like our own world. All of it...just a reflection. A reflection long faded...cracked. Some are content with that, accept it. All should, really. They'd sleep better at night." "He" said to himself, turning around, revealing a face that was sunken in and empty.

Heartwing folded his arms, frowning darkly. He was tired of this thing's words, the way it mocked his speech, insulted his heart. He was sick of this thing's cruelty. "Back where I come from, have a word for people who play mind games. Sicko." Heartwing said.

"That WOULD apply...if I were a person." The Jabberwocky laughed cruelly, rising up as bloody rust dribbled down from it's mouth and it launched itself through the air. "Go ahead, resist me if you've got the Will. For HIM, it took an entire city dying to get me to have my fun. For you, all it will take is me holding up the mirror."

It's jaws opened, impossibly wide, the rest of his body bulging and growing as a towering behemoth rose up, holding claws high as it brought it down towards Heartwing. "YOU! ARE! MINE!"

Heartwing felt the ground beneath him shatter like glass as he fell down and down and down through the endless black below, the Lord of the Obscured smiling coldly. "Stay within your heart's dream...because you're never...getting...OUT."

THU-THUMP.

...tha-thump?

...carpet. CARPET. He was at Lilo's house. The familiar teal-painted walls...the big, fluffy couch...the smell of pizza and ice cream always lingering in the air, and above all, that feeling; That warm, soft, cuddly, FLUFFY feeling of family. This was what truly set apart a good home from all others: that feeling of true _ohana_. It was as natural to him as Ward Cleaver coming in the front door to say "Honey, I'm home!" to June Cleaver.

And he had not only ended up in her house...but in his own memories, watching two familiar forms gently being rocked back and forth by Heatwave and himself. Baby Ezzie...Baby Chibisuke...his little ones. His little "_varati_"...

"My angels." Heatwave cooed as she tickled Esmeralda's pinkish nose with her own, her crimson-colored cheeks turning even redder as she blushed with pride. "Jumba did such an excellent job, I can't believe who I'm holding...what a beautiful thing I have here...I'm almost tempted not to set fire to his bathroom for sneaking our DNA into his lab for an illegal experiment." She added with a faint chuckle.

"You're so beautiful." Heartwing found himself saying to the sleeping white form in his memory's arms. "You were always such a sweet, beautiful little angel to me. I don't care how you came to be, you're..."

"My son." His memory cooed, kissing Chibisuke on the forehead. "My dear little son. I'm a dad. I'm a DAD!" He realized, eyes widening as a joyful grin spread across his face. "I...**I'M ACTUALLY A DAD!**"

"Feels pretty darn amazing, doesn't it?" Stitch said in Tantalog as he and Angel brought in some baby bottles filled with chocolate and strawberry milkshake mixed with baby formula. Heatwave frowned at this, though, shaking her head and pushing it away.

"I dunno. I think I'd rather do this naturally." She insisted.

"But you don't HAVE-" Angel began to say before she looked down at Heatwave's chest. I mean REALLY looked down. "...those are new."

"Well, when Jumba told us what he was doing, I decided to get prepared." Heatwave insisted as the memory began to fade into black and white, a new one slowly shimmering into view as Heartwing watched his son sitting in his class at the school. He was surrounded on all sides by various fourth and fifth graders, and had yet to fully get over his shyness. Unlike his sister, who chatted it up at a mile a minute, little Chibisuke had been a withdrawn, almost cloistered child.

The school had been doing a project based around growing a garden, and everyone had joined in. Now they kids were going to get the chance to show off their knowledge of all that grew in the ground, and their dear teacher, who was such an expert on flowers, adjusted the plant-like bracelet around her wrist before she folded her arms across her red shirt, looking at the kids as she held up a card showing several plants from the leaves up.

"What is this?" She asked Esmeralda.

"Uh...I think it's orange and sounds like a parrot."

"What?"

"A CARROT!" Ezzie laughed, some of the other kids laughing as well as their teacher, who chuckled as she held up another card.

"What is THIS?"

"...uh...celery? Parsley?"

"Maybe a radish? Or lettuce?"

"No, no. Good guesses. Chibi?"

Chibisuke nervously blushed. His face was as red as the fruit who's name he identified. "It's a tomato..." He managed to get out, rubbing his muzzle with a paw. "It's delicious."

"Awwwww, that was so cuuuuute!" Lilo said as she put her hands to her cheek and beamed.

"Nice answer." The teacher agreed.

"Heh-heh. He's funny." Ezzie chuckled at her brother.

Then one of the other students spoke up. Deliberately emphasizing the pause.

"It's a tomato...it's delicious." A blond-haired, dark-furred Experimental American chuckled out.

In that instant, Heartwing's face, which was normally calm and sweet...little 421, who smiled amicably when teased...

Turned redder than his son had as a furious, baleful light entered his black eyes.

_"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!"_

Instantly a dark and uneasy tension filled the air at the student fair, the parents and teachers nervously murmuring amongst themselves as the students all quickly hushed up.

"You KNOW how hard it is for him to just speak to others. Don't laugh at someone for trying so hard!" Heartwing yelled out, shaking his fist with raw indignation surging through him, true anger seeping into his words.

Everyone was silent for a long, long time, and the silence echoed on as the memory faded away...now Heartwing stood close to his son's throne at Niihau...at a time when he knew his son's paws were stained in blood.

"You have to stop this." Experiment 421 insisted to his beloved son, the Lord of Flame and Light. "You've gotta stop this, PLEASE."

"I can't stop this. I couldn't even if I wanted to." Senkoukura said mournfully as Makani bowed his head, eyes closed as he looked to the side. Grey stood by Heartwing's side, looking over at the beautiful white-furred beings before them, unaware...then...that Makani had been his flesh and blood.

"If you don't stop this, I'm telling Stitch not to go easy on you. And if he asks me to fight, I will." Grey had insisted. "The shining light of my heart will burn through you like TISSUE PAPER."

"I don't care if you are a "Kokoro"." Senkoukura insisted, frowning deeply as he waved a clawed paw in the air. "Leave. There's nothing for you here, and you'd not win in a fight against me, not in my own home, where I am strongest."

"...I can't believe it." Heartwing murmured as he shook his head back and forth, heading for the doorway as a gluttonous-looking Experimental American chuckled, standing with his sister by a nearby painting of a Mediterranean scene. "...to think he's doing that to innocent people...I don't understand. I just don't understand, WHY? Grey...why?" He whispered, putting one hand over his face. "...there were children-"

"You won't even TRY to fight him? Never thought you were a coward." Kuko chuckled, folds of fat rippling as he laughed, his sister Peleka sniggering along with him.

"I suppose sons do take after their fathers!" Grey hissed back, Senkoukura shamefully lowering his head as he heard Grey's harsh words, watching his weeping father leave his normally pristine and peaceful palace.

He had failed. He had failed to raise his son right, and he had watched his son become a murderer of any human who stepped onto the Experimental-run land of Niihau. It was inexcusable. He might not have put a pillow of compressed air to people's heads the way Makani had, or bashed their head in like Kuko, or poisoned their drinks like Peleka, or even...

...but their deaths...thousands of lives were on **his** hands, because he hadn't been man enough to be a father.

"You know you're not strong enough." Grey told his memory as they walked down the hall, Heartwing dejectedly looking on as the memory began to become grainy, fading away. "...but you can be."

Eyes widening.

"You will be."

Hope. Real hope.

Moments later, another familiar place opened up...his friend. His warm hand against his, helping him up to get a closer look at the tigers in the zoo. He remembered how happy he'd been, just the two of them, a bag of popcorn and the animals. But he'd been driven there by his friend because something had been happening in the family, and whenever he got really, really nervous about something, the zoo was where he liked to be...

With HIM was where he liked to be.

"What if I'm a bad grandpa?" He found himself asking as the tigers below glanced up at him before going back to sleep, the hazel-eyed youth patting his shoulder.

"You're not a bad anything, not if you really put your mind to it."

He smiled then. "The Obscured's tryin' to make you doubt yourself, but there's no real doubts in your mind. Every time you came close to real worry, you always found a way to alleviate the fear you felt. You've beaten everything that came before just by being you. Your kindness, your compassion, your love, your Light. That's all you ever needed, and all you ever will need."

"...am I really talking to you?" Heartwing asked as the memory began to fade, and he felt his senses slowly swimming back to normalcy. "Or...is this all just in my head?"

"Oh, it's in your head. But why should that mean it isn't real?"

A smile. "What can I say? I like to quote from the best."

THA-THWUCKA! A punch to the Jabberwocky's chin and he was sent launching back, the skies above Manhattan momentarily brightening, the downpour beginning to fade as Heartwing stood up, getting into a fighting position as a surging aura of light danced around him as if he was aflame. "No more." He growled out. "You're my problem. The only stain on my nice white shirt. Luckily..."

He leapt forward then, slamming another fist into the Jabberwocky as it began to shrink, the light above poking through more and more clouds, a gentle breeze replacing the pouring rain. "I CAN ELMINATE EVEN THE TOUGHEST STAINS!" Heartwing laughed.

"You really think you're "beating" me!" The Jabberwocky snapped as the two traded blows, fists flying. With every strike the Jabberwocky made the skies darken, with every punch, Heartwing brought back the light, but it was becoming clear that the Jabberwocky couldn't match Heartwing's second wind. He was being forced back further and further, the vivid sound of life and the chirping of birds was slowly wafting through the sunny air as the beast hissed and snarled, the feel of the sun against its rotten skin making it sizzle like rotting meat.

"You're just annoying me!"

_THA-THWAMP!_

"I am all powerful!"

_KRA-THRUCK!_

"I will ALWAYS come back!"

"So what?"

**THRUCHA-THRAK! **A kick to the gut as the Jabberwocky's knees buckled, a fist rising up to knock him into the air. He was sent flying through brightly-lit skies, howling in pain as Heartwing held his glowing fist high, watching his adversary vanish far into the distance.

"Come back all you like. I'll always win." He finished, dusting himself off as Manifest emerged from the rooftop doorway, blinking as he looked around Manhattan. The whole area was being filled with new life. He could hear birds, feel the warmth of the sun on his skin, a breeze caressing his cheek as flowers began to bloom in the pavement sidewalks below.

"It's beautiful." He whispered. "Somehow, I think you...YOU'RE the thing that's bringing all of this to life. That Jabberwocky was tainting the green, but you're cultivating it. It's amazing, simply AMAZING!" He said, clapping Heartwing on the shoulder and beaming proudly. The two sat atop the roof, the "Hand of God" breathing in deep through his nostrils and sighing happily as Heartwing bobbed his feet back and forth like they were sitting in a raft on a river, not hundreds of feet above street.

"But I guess...you ARE "The World"...you ARE its representation. Its rightful avatar..."

"...Manifest?" Heartwing asked nervously as Manifest slowly turned to look deep into his eyes. "What is it? Are you alright?"

"...no. No I'm not." The white-haired being said quietly. "Don't get me wrong, this is AMAZING what you've done, but..." He hesitated. "...I've been...I've been frustrated so much of my life here in this cracked world." He told the draconic experiment.

"Huh?"

"Since before you went from being Experiment 421...since before I first met Joe...I was frustrated. Frustrated because it was so, SO obvious that right and wrong were real things and I didn't understand why nobody else would believe it."

"I know how you fee-wait...WHAT?!" Heartwing's eyes widened as his hand flew to his mouth. "...it...you...oh my **GOD**..." He whispered.

"Heh. People keep sayin' that." Manifest chuckled as he stood up, raising the hoodie over his head, rainbow eyes shifting, changing to hazel. "No...care to guess again?"

Heartwing gazed in a mixture of hope, confusion and anger, unsure of what to do as he stood there, the wind rippling around the two, his wings folding tightly to his back. "I c-can't believe you're...this can't be happening! You can't be HIM!"

"I think you can feel it in your **gut**, ol buddy ol' pal." A big grin. "I think you've known it for weeks. Maybe even longer. When you first saw me, when you first heard my words, stood in my presence, you felt comfortable, safe, happy. You felt like you were with someone whom you always belonged near. You felt I was _ohana_, Heartwing...and you were right."

"It's-it's not p-possible." Heartwing stuttered. "C-Can't b-be..."

Familiar brown locks brushed back...a gentle, tender smile that had been in so many a sweet memory, like the taste of candyfloss.

"No. It is."

The word tumbled out of his lips, his eyes slowly widening, renewed hope rising in him, hope that had been slowly dying. For so long he'd thought his "shot in the dark" was a fool's errand, "he" was never coming back, EVER!

But now?

"_Nick._"

"_...yes._"

"How did this happen?" Heartwing found himself asking, the little dragon's face becoming filled with deep concern for his own friend. "I mean, one moment you were there on the roof with me, and then you were just GONE from everyone's mind...and now you're HERE? How-"

"That doesn't really matter. At least, not to **me**." The being titled Manifest Destiny insisted, the two landing on the street below as the daylight began to fade, a darkness settling over Manhattan. "But things are...different here. All my life Nick Grey fought to protect worlds, but this place is something else. It's evil, Heartwing. **Evil.** And there's only one way to deal with that. The way Nick should have taken sooner."

Heartwing felt a dark chill strike his heart like an icicle working its way in. "Th-that's the EASY way out!" He insisted.

"This isn't about love. This isn't about compassion. This isn't about justice. This is about cutting out this cancer of a world from the Multiverse and flushing it down the TOILET." He went on, a sickening blackness tinted with purplish power surging through the streets, towards them.

"And if that's what I have to do...then Doctor Manifest Destiny, at your service."

Pain. Agonizing pain as his skin seemed to boil, like his soul was being thrown up on. He watched Manifest raise a hand up, hovering over the inky blackness that surrounded him.

"And I'm sorry...I truly am...but you'd never let me do this. Not willingly. So I've got no choice but to leave you here in this dream..." He murmured as tight purple bandages began to wrap themselves around experiment 421's body.

"This one's kind." A voice spoke up. "He'll be a good replacement for the shell of a sun we have...he will be the "light" needed in the end."

"I'm sorry." Manifest whispered quietly. "Forgive me, buddy...please forgive me. But you have to remain here, in the dark...I've no choice this time..."

"MMM! **MMMMMHHHMMM**!" the "World" of the Major Arcana struggled desperately to free himself, but all in vain as the darkness seeped in around him, all becoming quiet...and warm...

...

... "A new day is dawning."

"A new sun is rising."

"I feel SICK. _Diseased._ He trusted me...he would have done anything for me..."

"Altruism is a mortal flaw."

"Altruism is a GIFT. I do EVERYTHING in it's name. You remember that and you RESPECT my friends you little brat. When this is over, you're second to last after HIM. I am only letting you off easy because I need your abilities."

"Of course you do." The Cracked Thing chuckled, it's cape flowing freely as Regent von Hamsterviel smiled softly, cruelly, a dark glint flickering in his eyes. "Nobody does it better than **me.**"


	19. Mea Maxima Culpa

REVERSAL  
-

_"We had the sky up there", said Huckleberry Finn, "All speckled with stars...and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them...and discuss about whether they were MADE...or just HAPPENED." Huckleberry Finn _

19  
MEA MAXIMA CULPA

"It's good that you've all come here." Manifest insisted to the others as he paced back and forth in his new condo in Manhattan. The sun shone brightly, casting illuminating rays upon the bustling metropolis as dragons stood outside, watching these strange newcomers as they sat on the porch outside the condo. These beings were so new to them...their very presence seemed so alien, and yet, so...attractive. To the new inhabitants of Manhattan, given new life under a new sun, the assembled beings were rather like strange jungle butterflies, amazing to behold from a distance, yet still, in a sense, dangerous in terms of potential and power.

"What's so important that you had to call me away from my people?" Josef mumbled angrily, crossing his arms across his chest and frowning darkly. The war was still going on in full swing, and even though none of the Romany people had yet been given a "Key to Heaven", Yurp's army had gained a renewed second wind and had begun tapping into a new resource: using the magic users in the kingdom. The former White Knight himself had taken upon himself to enter the fight and things had gotten even bloodier.

Daveigh held her daughter closely to her chest as Yuna murmured nervously in her mother's arms, Ashton patting her head as Manifest looked over at them. "The Infection, as you know, is a deep problem with this world. This is, in fact, the only place in the world that's free of it...and that's why I've called you here."

King folded his arms, frowning darkly. He'd been unsettled the moment he'd come here. Everything about this seemingly-peaceful paradise seemed...off. False. The air conditioning, the soft breeze of the wind, the clouds ambling over the building they were in...it was all just a bit too perfect, like somebody was trying to make a college dorm room that was normally a pigsty "prettier" by sweeping the most unpleasant parts under the bed and into the closet. He was still determined, along with Sari and Green, to find the rest of the Seal of Metatron, just in case...

"This place is the only "safe haven" in the world." Manifest went on, gesturing outside at the scenic view and the dragons below, many of them nervously waving at our heroes and heroines. "That's why it's from here...I'll help save the world. There are individuals in this world well worth saving. I need you to find 100 of each Race. Non-infected. The best and the brightest. We'll bring them here, to our little Zion."

He turned around, looking back at the others, holding his head low and sighing deeply. "If there is one thing I know for absolute certainty, it's that people will ALWAYS unite over...a common enemy. And...well...all the world is your enemy, my friends." He said softly. "...it's sad that it has to be this way, but anybody can turn at any time. Furthermore, there are other members of the Major Arcana, "Reversed" members similar to the ones you've met. Defeating them empowers me, and the more strength I have the easier it will be for me to heal the world."

"Yes, yes, of course, we understand." Sari insisted, all of them unaware of the being that was calmly sitting in a chair some distance away, sipping a fine wine from a cup, ironically standing right behind Green and Junior. He chuckled slightly, his eyes aglow as the other beings in the room nodded in agreement at Manifest's suggestion, voicing their assent. A little bit of preoccupation mixed with Manifest's "Redirection", and all they could focus their attention on was him. It was like he wasn't even there.

Being a manipulative empathic being had its perks, he thought to himself, a silent, quiet voice struggling uselessly against the bonds that held it...watching helplessly...unable to do anything.

"_NO!_" Heartwing thought as he struggled to free himself, the burning surrounding him, locked in an endless, writhing prison of fire, hidden in plain sight far above them all. "_NO, NO, NO! YOU CAN'T! YOU CAN'T LISTEN TO HIM! SOMEBODY!"_

"I look forward to working with you all so closely." Manifest said cheerily. "Once all the "Reversed" are defeated, I'll have the power, and if you have power, ANYTHING is possible."

"We'd be happy to help you save this world, Manifest." Junior spoke up, nodding vigorously.

"_Anybody...please...please, you have to listen..._"

"Aw, don't stand on ceremony. Manifest is really more like my working name. Kind of like a nickname. I feel comfortable enough to tell you my real name." The white-haired being insisted, putting a hand on his chest.

"_Someone...please...help...me..._"

"What IS your real name?" Daveigh asked.

"Xinohascl. **The Eye of Night.**" The rainbow-eyed being said tenderly to them, smile as kindly as a kindergarten teacher.

...

...

...

..."Please don't look at me." Grey insisted as he sat in the tree limb, the cricket sitting atop the snake's head as the deer sat underneath our furry friend. "I'm still trying to come to grips with this whole "You're talking" thing."

"We ALWAYS could talk, you just never were listening." Lil' "Chester" insisted as he hopped off of Walter's head, the snake nodding vigorously in assent. "It's good to hear you finally speaking to us like we're people, now."

"...I dunno if I can really think of you as PEOPLE. I mean, you're showing real sentience, but...but I wonder..."

"Tell you what. How about a joke. A human joke?" The water snake asked, sniggering slightly as he curled his way up into Grey's furry mane of hair atop his cranium, poking his lithe head down over Grey's green-tinted black eyes.

"...sure."

"There's this ninety-year-old man named Benny, on his deathbed. Next to him, holding his hand like always, is his wife, Dotty. So Benny says "Dotty, we've been married for over 60 years. When I was drafted into the war, you were by my side. When we lost every penny we had in the stock market, you were by my side. And now, here I am on my deathbed, and you're right by my side. Dotty, my love, after all these years, I just wanted to tell you..."

Grey blinked. "Yes?"

"You're a **JINX!**" The snake finished, letting out hissing laughter as he slithered off, the cricket chirping with delight and the deer chuckling as Grey snickered a bit.

"Okay, okay, that was pretty dang funny, I admit." Grey told them, nodding his head as he looked back down at the shimmering looking-glass portal, waiting for the mirror-like thing to release what he was waiting for. "Perhaps your kind are really developing human-level-"

He stiffened, sniffing the air. He could SMELL it. A scent like that of blood left to linger in toilet water. "Get back." He hissed out at them as they hid themselves, his eyes peering down at the looking glass as the surface began to part.

It stepped through, body silky smooth and cold like bone, eyes long sunken in, antlers riddled with termites that even now were worming their way in and out, carving new lines. Its skinny legs took a few steps forward as its counterpart looked it over, deer gazing at deer.

Before Grey's eyes, Daniel was then set up by the ferocious thing as it lunged at him, howling and snarling like a cat, teeth digging into his side as it forced him down, rearing up to bash his head in with its thick, cloven feet. Grey immediately leapt through the air, claws striking out as he severed the thing's head in a single quick slice, a squelchy THLUP marking that its head had hit the forest floor.

"Sorry thing, but it was either you or...oh...LORD..." Grey murmured, the thing rising back up from the ground, the head still glaring balefully at him as the body rushed towards him. Grey snarled and leapt out of the way, then leapt towards the undead deer, a taloned foot cracking the thing's spine in half. It fell to the ground, pulsing and squirming, trying even NOW to rise back up, organs swishing back and forth as it staggered at him.

Dear LORD, would this thing not DIE? Grey finally had had enough. He decided to try something out...test the waters. He leapt backwards, taloned feet crashing down on the skull of the undead deer, and as it was crushed beneath his feet, the body slumped down, the thing's life finally reaching an end as Grey dusted himself off and gave the body a few swift and ferocious kicks for good measure.

"That was just a DEER." He murmured as he turned to the other animals, Daniel sniffing his "Reversed" counterpart. "...if ordinary animals are psychotic like that, then...then what of the PEOPLE?"

Elsewhere, a more tender scene was unfolding. The former page of the Red Queen was holding himself tightly in the embrace of a thick blanket, a down comforter provided to him by some kindly soul. He had been travelling for days in the forest, trying to make his way back home, but all he could find were more trees. And, occasionally, those strange, tall, looking-glass pillars that stood erect and mighty like monoliths.

"It huuurts." He muttered, holding his stomach as he made his way through the forest. "My father died in the hospital, and my old home's been decrepit for years...and I don't dare go back to Yurp, the queen will have me killed for desertion...even IF it's because I realized the terrible truth about this twisted world."

He shivered as he drew the blanket tighter around him, a cold wind biting into his red jacket as he whimpered. "It's not fair...I tried so hard. I knew from the start what I was and even now I'm trying to stay good, but...but I shouldn't have to try so hard. I shouldn't have a life like this. Why did I have to become this way?"

A glimmer of something. Something familiar. The fur was different, but the back of his head...and the ears and structure...

Just go in, he heard an inner voice say. Reach out. Touch the glass.

This time he listened to his inner voice. And this time...he was rewarded by colliding with a furry, soft form, as Grey Nicholas Pelekai turned around and lifted the stunned young man up, the blond-haired, well-dressed page gazing up, pond surface eyes into black and green.

"H-Hey." Jess mumbled out.

"...hi." Grey said.

"...I'm gonna pass out now."

THWUMP.

Well, Grey didn't waste much time. Lifting the kid over his shoulder, he nodded at the animals. "You feel free to come find me anytime. Lemme know if anything else comes out through the looking glasses like this." He said, quickly making his way through the forest and into the town, heading for the church and for Page, who was situated outside, giving some crackers to passenger pigeons that were fluttering around.

"Oh my!" Page remarked, eyes widening at the sight of the being slung over Grey's shoulders. "Good thing you brought him here. Get him inside, get him inside, I've got revival tonic." He insisted, Grey carefully putting the young man onto a pew as Page knelt by him, opening up his mouth and easing a small cup filled with faintly glowing greenish liquid.

The kid took a few sips, eyes fluttering as he looked around where he was, noticing the beings that were standing near him.

"...who...are you?" He managed to get out, his voice all-too familiar for them as Page smiled and handed him the cup, Grey gesturing at himself, then Page.

"My name's Grey. This is Page, experiment 620, "The Star" of the Major Arcana, just like I'm "The Strength"." He bowed slightly. "It's good to see you're feeling better. I hope we're not, well, SCARY to you."

Jess sipped the tasty, faintly-apple-like liquid. "No, no." He mumbled. "You're not."

_This is such a nice place._ He thought to himself, glancing around the fine walls of the enormous church, at the many stained-glass windows and plushy-seated pews. Each window seemed to show a new story from the Bible, with words like "Justice" and "Compassion" and "Love" placed over the windows, each of which told stories befitting the words above. Page walked over to the back, entering a doorway as Grey tilted his head to the side.

"Might I ask your name?" He inquired.

"J-Jess, sir."

"Might I ask what flavor of pudding you'd like?"

"Er, chocolate?"

"Page! Get us some chocolate up in this hizzouse of the G-O-D." Grey cheesily called out.

"Word."

"Of the Lord!" Grey wisecracked again, laughing as he sat near Jess, nodding at him. "You're from beyond the looking glass, right? So what's it like?"

"...not as nice as it seems to be here." Jess said frankly. "If your first reaction to a strange person passing out nearby was to give them pudding, then I think your world must be a very nice place."

"It is." Grey admitted proudly, pumping his fist on his chest as Page headed over towards them, carrying a cup filled with pudding and a spoon for Jess. Jess happily dug into the pudding, eagerly gulping it down. When compared to the wild roots and berries he'd been forced to eat, this sort of thing was like a small dish of heaven itself.

"Mmmmmmmm." Jess said, chewing with his mouth open. "Ohh, 'dank 'ooo ery muh." He mumbled out. "Id weel gud."

"You're more than welcome." Page said. Something was odd, though. The child had a problem raising his hand fully up to his mouth, almost as if...

He'd ask in a minute. "I'd like to introduce you to the others in the Major Arcana, if that's alright. I know you were in contact with my friends, Daveigh, Ashton, Ki-"

Jess nodded eagerly. "Oh yes, yes, I saw them. But I've been away from them for a long time, but it would be nice to meet the rest of you." He added. "You and your friends were the nicest people I ever met!"

"Hmm. One thing, though." Page lifted Jess's shirt up, gasping in surprise. "You've got BRUISES here." He murmured. "What happened?" He gently inquired of the young man.

"I'm page to the Red Queen, and if I do things too slowly for her, then I get punished by her daughter, that's the way it works." Jess explained as they Grey gently lifted him up and they made their way out of the church and down the street towards Kokaua Town Clinic. "Is it really that bad?"

...

...

...

... "This is a serious fracture." Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel, "Death" of the Major Arcana insisted, putting down the X-Ray picture and shaking his head back and forth. "Very serious indeed. What did that little brat do to you? Have the guards hold you whilst you get slugged in the stomach?"

Jess's blushing face told him all he needed to know. "You're young, so you'll still heal fast. We'll tape the ribs up to keep them stable, and I'll prescribe you some medicine to ease the pain and speed up the healing process even faster." Hammy went on, adjusting the thick lab coat he was wearing as he wrote down a prescription, handing it to a red-haired male assistant of some kind in blue scrubs as they made their way to the waiting room.

"This is so much different from what I'm used to." Jess mumbled as Page gave him a supportive pat on the back, Jess smiling nervously as Mr. Kendall, the red-head from before, handed him the necessary medicine inside of the pristine white waiting room. Jess pocketed the bag and began squirming around in a nervous fashion. "So clean, so up-to-date..."

The nurse began giving sign language gestures at him as Grey translated. "Atomic Force Microscope, Parallel Reactor, plenty of Active Compounds and Natural Drugs, all lock, stock and barrel here in Kokaua Town Clinic..."

"Uh huuhhh..."

"We have to be prepared. Just...last year..." Grey continued translating as Zack kept signing with his hands. "The "Seeing Plague" blinded 400 people. Month after that, some jackass of a mad scientist let her toxic waste get spilled out into a bay filled with fishermen. They had gills for five days until we finally cured them. So we need to have more...than eye scissors and aspirin."

"You're a doctor too, then?" Jess asked.

"Registered Nurse." The red-haired young man said in a voice that was clearly not used to being used at all, barely a whisper, almost wracked with hoarseness as if it had been held in a chest that had been shut up for ten thousand years.

"...right. Woulda been my second guess. Uh, listen, can I use the bathroom?" He asked the nurse.

The nurse pointed down the hallway, and Jess quickly shimmied off to the boy's room, slinking inside. He completed his "business", his bladder on the verge of bursting open, spilling urine all through his insides before erupting out of his stomach in a rush of warm, amber waves. At least, that's what he presumed what would've happened if he had waited five more minutes.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." Jess moaned, the trickling liquid echoing in the bathroom. It was much bigger than any other bathroom he'd been in, and in almost as good a condition as the operating room. He shook three times (anymore and it was considered a faux pas) and zipped up his pants, flushing as the water churned lazily around in the urinal.

He then headed over to the sink, and stuck his hands into moderately hot water, ribbing his hands together as a healthy lather bubbled up. "Singin' in the bathtuuuub..." He sang out, rinsing off as he turned off the faucet.

KLONK.

...a knock from a bathroom stall. Jess nervously turned around. Oh no. Oh no, oh no. It couldn't be. There was no way. He'd left that world behind. There was nothing scary or dangerous-

**KLONK.**

He found himself shivering as he nervously approached the nearest stall where the sound had come from, looking at it as-

**KLONK.**

He rapped on the stall door, waiting a response.

Ka-klunka.

**KLONK.**

"Hello?" He asked.

**KLONK.**

Okay, this was seriously scaring him. Did he dare try to break down the stall? Or perhaps sneak a peek under and...

No. Definitely not looking under, that wouldn't have been smart. Instead, he summoned all his courage, racing towards the stall door, throwing his shoulder at it. It gave way, sure enough, revealing...

Nothing. Nothing but a toilet, a "KLONK" sound emanating from inside the top part, which was opened up, exposing a set-loose part of the toilet that kept whacking against the inside of said toilet.

No ghosts. No goblins. No ghouls.

"It's all in your head." Jess insisted as he made his way out of the bathroom, shivering slightly as he rubbed his arms up and down. "All in your head..."

...

...

...

...even though the people in the town seemed so nice, and eager to welcome him to Kokaua Town, Jess couldn't help but feel worried. In the world he knew, adults didn't protect you. You had to care for yourself. They either left him...or beat the crap out of him...

"Sometimes, even though things are just fine all around, you can't help but feel that things are getting worse for you." Jess informed Page as the Experimental American cleaned off the inside of the pews. He rubbed his sore chest, murmuring quietly. "Ugh. Why does it feel like its worse..."

Page glanced over at him, a sympathetic look flickering onto his face. "I can understand that." He said in his sweet, gentle, beautiful voice.

"You've got such nice people looking after you, working alongside you. And you light a candle every day for your friends back in my world." Jess went on, gesturing at the many candles by the special "shrine" to the far side of the church, underneath, ironically, a stained glass window dedicated to "Hope". "I wish I could have been born into your family."

Page chuckled slightly and hopped over the pew to pat Jess on the back. "I wasn't "born" into anything. I was created by Dr. Jookiba. But I was truly "born" when I accepted God into my heart." He told the child as he led him to the front altar, gesturing at the enormous cross statue of Jesus made entirely of crystal that towered above.

"...I wonder..." Jess muttered. "...why did my mother even have me? What kind of God allows something like that to happen? Am I in pain because I'm a bad person? Because I'm just naturally bad? What kind of God would make a person bad from the beginning?"

"You doubt many things, don't you?" Page asked as he patted Jess's back. "...would you like me to pray?"

"For my back to heal?"

"No, no, modern medicine will do that. I was thinking of praying for your deceased father's soul." Page said, kneeling down and clasping his hands together as he bowed his head, his wings held tightly to his back. "You find it hard to believe in much of anything, don't you? I imagine you are a natural pessimist."

"It's not by choice." Jess said as he sat down nearby. "It really, REALLY isn't. When I was younger, I...I DID believe. Or, at least...I WANTED to. I wanted to think that somehow, somewhere, somebody good and kind and loving was watching out for us, and that I'd get to someday see them, and I'd know everything was going to be alright. I really wanted to believe that."

"...but you couldn't. I can tell you're uncomfortable, like my friend Zachary. But his lack of faith stems from something far more...lethal." Page went on. "He was beaten. Dragged. Lynched. And his father never said a word. Since then, he's barely said a single word himself. If you don't mind me asking...what stopped you from believing if you so wanted to?" Page nervously inquired.

Jess brushed his hair back, turning around and waving his hands in the air, letting out a long, deep sigh. "I'd like to. More than anything, I want to believe that something is watching out for us...and that someone is waiting for us in the end. Something. SomeONE. But I can't just..."

He sat down in a pew and covered his face with his hands, his voice becoming quiet, cracked, hoarse. "M-my dad. He had this smile. This wonderful, mind-numbing smile. And every time I got back home from school, all he had to do was smile at me and I forgot everything else. I felt safe. I felt happy. All I needed to know life would get better was to see him smiling at me."

Page sat down near him, gently stroking his back, a deeply compassionate expression in his eyes as he listened carefully to the young man's tale.

"And then he got sick. Real sick. And I prayed, I really did pray, Page. I prayed for help. But he died in the hospital. And mom? Well, SHE wasn't around to help. She **left** us. So I had no choice but to work for the monarchy, become a page, a ward of the state. And you know what the worst part of it all is?"

"What?"

Jess leaned back in the pew, eyes gazing up into the ceiling as if trying to burn through them with heat vision, trying desperately to see something his mind wouldn't let his spirit believe.

"I found out that the drugs he'd been on had been diluted. My father could have potentially lived for another YEAR if not for those stupid things. And I know it doesn't seem like much, but..."

"I know." Page nodded his head. "Rupert has talked to me often about it. And they always ask...what would one give for one more year? What would one give for one more **hour**?"

"It wasn't God that took my father away. It was corporate greed." Jess mumbled balefully. "I don't want to argue with you. I just know that I'd believe, well and truly, if...if only I could see my father's smile again."

Page gently took his hand and squeezed it. "I won't force you to believe, or pressure you into faith. People have to find their own reasons for reaching the truth, come to faith of their own free will. And whether you believe in God or not, I want you to know that you are loved, even if it doesn't feel like it at times. Loved endlessly."

With that, he hugged Jess tightly, his body so sweetly soft, one giant down quilt wrapping around him like the most tender patch of sheep's wool. Jess returned the hug nervously as Page let go, heading for the door. "Tonight Rupert's grandson Charles will be giving a speech on behalf of our departed friends. We've all been asked to bring in food for a potluck. Would you like to contribute? I was going to go get some baking materials."

"I can make good cake." Jess called back.

"Cake it is!" Page laughed, exiting the church as Jess looked around the church, glancing left and right before he made his way to the altar, picking up the prayer book and flipping through it. An idea came to him.

_Make believe...play pretend, just once. Put yourself in his shoes._

"Um...dearly beloved." He began to say, clearing his throat. "We are gathered here in this house of God to bear witness to the gospel, and to proclaim our love for God. Praise God, and let him into our hearts."

He could almost hear the church responding back as it echoed his words, seeming to linger on the "praise god" section as he inwardly smiled and went on, clearing his throat again and raising his hands high.

"It is never to late for anyone! Be willing to repent, be willing to change your ways! Do not be afraid of the long path you must take! Redemption can be earned in the most unexpected of ways, but it is best given when you are not demanding of it! You WILL know the way, you will understand if you praise God! PRAISE GOD!"

_"And let him into our hearts!"_

Yes, yes, this must be what Page feels like. He could genuinely feel a real warmth rising in him, the discomfort slowly fading. There was something oddly satisfying about speaking these words. He could picture them all smiling at him from the pews as he pounded the altar, raising the book high.

"We must believe in Redemption! We must always fight back against the desire for Vengeance! We can be forgiven if we are willing to forgive ourselves! No matter how we get here, it doesn't matter. What DOES matter is what we decide, right here, right now. Even if the world should end tomorrow, that matters not, all that matters is our choice, our willingness to forgive and redeem! Do so and you will know what it means to be forgiven! **PRAISE GOD!**"

"_AND LET HIM INTO OUR-_"

Drip.

Jess stopped. He slowly blinked, feeling something trickle down from above onto his head.

Drip.

Drip.

He reached up, hesitantly, but that smell...that salty, iron smell...

Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip.  
DRIP.  
DRIP.  
**DRIP.**

He pulled his hand down...looking at the inky blackness...of rotten blood that was sliding down his hand in a trickle like it was sliding down his forehead.

**DRIP  
DRIP  
DRIP  
DRIP  
DRIP**

He ran out of the church. And he didn't look back.

...

...

...

... "**The...Infection. **That's what it's called." Page informed Hammy as the Muridean doctor paced back and forth, tail whipping in the air as Zack examined Grey's fur for ticks in a routine check-up. "It transforms the citizens of the Reversed world into foul, inhuman things. It makes them monsters. From what I remember when that wave of information struck us all, the early symptoms revolve around hallucinations. They see things, smell things that aren't there..."

"He left the bathroom pale and paranoid. He talked about blood dribbling down onto his head. He's not been able to sleep..." The doctor rubbed his chin. "It's possible he could be infected, but it's also possible he's got something else entirely. We haven't had him psychologically tested..."

"So he might be a schizophrenic, or possibly-" Grey began.

"Could the beatings that he endured have contributed to these...things he's seeing?" Page asked softly as they shut the door, pulling the drapes in as they sat within the room, trying to keep their conversation private, Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel steepling his paw digits.

"Listen, blows to the head can cause disorientation. They can cause subdural hematomas. They can cause you to be knocked out. Memory loss, delirium, dementia. But NOT psychosis." Hammy said stonily, shaking his head back and forth. "He's been exhibiting all the signs of a psychotic breakdown. Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought..."

Jess sat outside on the bench, twitching nervously, chewing on his fingernails. He'd been pacing up and down the halls, his eyes were becoming bloodshot and his every waking moment seemed plagued with strange sights and sounds. He jiggled his leg, gazing out through the wall as he struggled to try and get his thoughts together, mumbling under his breath as Grey listened in through a crack in the door.

"You're a special, special boy...you're a special, special boy, you are...you're a special boy..."

"...Page, I want to ask you something." Grey whispered as he closed the door. "...what if we've somehow caused this? "Staying good" kept the supposed Infection at bay, if an Infected had something to hold its willpower to, they could fight it off. His will was tied into looking normal, being normal. But he's in a place where, despite us accepting him for what he is, he keeps hanging around the very person whom he's the leftovers of. He doesn't have a life of his own, and barely has a copy of YOURS, and I think the more he realizes that, the worse off he's getting..."

There was suddenly a loud CLANG and a SLAM and they raced outside. A nurse had been shoved over and was trying to get back to her feet, a tray filled with medical instruments shoved to the floor and the doorway to the stairs was now closing. He'd made a break for it.

"...what are we going to do? He's getting worse by the hour." Grey murmured.

"...I'm going to go help him." Page insisted, rushing off after him.

"Page, STOP!" Hammy yelled, holding out his paw. "You can't, he'll-"

But Page was already gone.

...

...

...

...Page rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around the church, his eyes flickering back and forth, calling out. "Jess? Jess, please come out." He insisted, the silence of the empty, dimly-lit church being the only thing that answered. Only the candles at the shrine were lit, everything else was all shut off or extinguished. "Jess, please, it doesn't have to be this way. Let me help you, please." He insisted softly.

More silence. There was nothing but a faint glow from the candles in the church. Jess wasn't here. Why did he think he'd be here?

He could feel it, he was sure of it. SURE of it. He called out again. "Jess, it doesn't help, pushing everyone away. Let me help-"

"Hello, Page." Jess spoke softly, emerging from the shadows, a barb shooting into Page's furry white chest as powerful electrical shocks coursed through him.

_"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHDDDDD!"_ Page screamed, reeling in pain as he flopped to the ground, Jess standing over him, looking down at him with eyes that had become sunken and deep, skin paling and cracking with tiny veins streaking across. "...do-don't...s-stop, please...stop..."

He reached down.

...

...

...

...Page awoke to find himself trapped in the backseat of a car, and not just any car, but the van he usually used to drive along with Father Michael. He struggled uselessly to get free of his bonds, but he could feel it, he'd been drugged, he was too tired to go intangible and "ghost" inside of his captor, freeing himself. He rubbed his eyes as best he could as Jess continued to drive down the long stretch of road, heading for the grasslands far outside of town.

"You'll have to excuse my p-panic...I've got a bit of a fear of...oh, being stuffed into backseats and t-tied up with...with chains..." Page groaned out.

Jess just "hmphed" and kept driving.

"...Jess, you and I have more in common than you think we do. I didn't ever really have a family either. And the only people that came close...they were lost to me for years until I was reactivated as a pod." Page spoke softly. "...do you know that we experiments, we...we're still sorta conscious when we're in pod state? It's not like being asleep, it's more like...being in a kind of...out of body experience. And I felt more conscious than the others because of my ability...so I felt so, so alone. All I had to keep me going was my faith."

Jess's eyes flicked back at him through the rear-view mirror.

"To me, that memory of my "Father" was all that kept me going in a Hellish span of years. I know what it's like...to feel like nobody is ever going to care about you. To be afraid that you'll never find anyone who thinks you're special. I was disregarded by Jumba because I didn't want to hurt innocents. Laughed at for my faith. Mocked. Teased. Hurt. I know the pain you went through, I endured it as well, and you don't need to go through it alone."

"My father loved me." Jess spoke quietly, his voice barely a whisper, but now tainted, cracked, like bugs hissing out from underneath leaves. "...he loved me more than your God ever could." He mumbled, stopping the car and reaching around to the backseat, shoving some bottled water down Page's throat.

It didn't feel cool. Or warm. It BURNED. Why did it burn?

What was...what...

Did he...

Put...

In...

...That...

...

...

...

... "I'm pretty sure I know where he went."

Grey kneeled down by the road to the church, looking down at the cricket in his hands, careful not to squash him as Hammy stood nearby with Zack, the two glancing at each other, then at Grey, then at the cricket.

"You're positive?"

"He kept mumbling about the "desert being a good place to beat a devil". There's only once place that fits that description here on the island, and the car took off in that direction." Chester told him, nodding his antennae'd head firmly and pointing with a tiny stubby "hand".

"The Volcanic Mesa." Grey growled, putting the cricket down onto the ground as he whipped his head in the direction of the volcano quite some distance from town. Just beyond it and to the north was the dry, arid region of the island, home to long stretches of near-dry land, the closest that the island came to a desert, formed by volcanic ash ruining the soil to the north. "There's coyotes out there, and a storm coming in. Your body could get sunk down into quicksand or buried in a flash flood in minutes..."

"The ramifications of an insect actually being able to communicate on the level you've demonstrated pale in comparison to the horrifying knowledge that tonight we're supposed to get heavy thunderstorms." Hammy mumbled nervously as he pulled his labcoat up, the white fabric transforming into black as his eyes momentarily shifted and he "saw beyond". "Oh no. Oh NO. Page is on the path leading to death. If we don't find him within the hour..." The "Death" member of the Major Arcana whispered.

Zack had already started up the car. And speaking of "car"...

"AAAAAAAAA! STOP! _PLEAAAAAAAAAASE!_" Page screamed tearfully, feeling the van getting put down over him, pinning his body to the ground. The pressure on his back and shoulder was almost unbearable, and he couldn't really move his arms at all. Worse still, there was the unmistakable crackling of lightning in the distance, and the wind was beginning to pick up. It was only a matter of time...

What frightened Page most of all wasn't the possibility of a hungry coyote coming. If the need arose, he could just really focus and use his ability t transform into spectral light energy, vanishing inside of the animal. No, he wasn't scared of that. And no, it wasn't terrifying to him, the idea of drowning...no...

What truly frightened him was the look in Jess's eyes as he calmly stepped back, smiling coldly and turning away, waving as he walked off. That look. That stone cold look of unbridled cruelty. He had never, EVER seen it in his own face. It felt so alien, seeing it on a being who's face so resembled his own...it was like he was leaving himself to die...

What would that thing do to the ones he loved?

Lightning split the sky, rolls of thunder echoing through the air.

"Oh God help me." Page whispered as the first droplets of rain began to fall. He had to get out. He had to help his friends.

But he felt so...very...weak.

...

...

...

...they could see him, sitting atop the volcano. He was easy to pick out from the trail that led from the mesa to the once-active firebreather. Rushing up the gravel path, Grey angrily clenched his fists, unretractable claws eager to shred into frail human flesh. He had never, EVER felt such a desire to hurt a human child. He'd gotten ANGRY with humans before, but...but this was a level of hatred and rage that was new. This was somebody they'd taken in and trusted, somebody they'd shown nothing but kindness to despite where he'd come from. And how had he repaid them?

"Where...is...he?" Grey growled furiously.

"..." Jess calmly sat away from them, looking at the volcano's open top. It had been pretty much inactive for centuries...not once had it erupted in the past 500 years, and now he was being as still as it was.

"Tell us where he is." Hammy insisted as Zack readied several tranquilizers for his gun, Hammy twirling his special scythe construct, red eyes glittering like rubies.

"...I get it now." Jess murmured. "...I understand. He's ME, you know. The real me. The person I was always meant to be, deep down inside. The person I've been trying to be all my life. But...but I can't ever be him, can I?"

Grey blinked in surprise, his pose becoming less feral, lowing his fist.

"I can NEVER have that life. So I just play pretend and make believe that everything's going to be alright, but it's all fake! Just like my father, and my world, EVERYTHING IS ALL FAKE! Why...why did it have to be this way?" Jess whispered, shivering like mad as he clenched his fists tightly. "Why can't I stay here and pretend I'm HIM, the person I should have been? Why..."

He whirled around, his body transforming before their eyes, skin stripped to reveal the muscles and nerve endings beneath, bloody veins throbbing in eye sockets empty of retinae, screeching like a young child who's leg was caught in a trap.

"_WHY CAN'T YOU ALL JUST LET ME MAKE BELIEVE?!"_

And with that, he flung himself into the volcano...

And unleashed **Hell.**


	20. Drowning in Doubt

**-  
REVERSAL  
-**

_"The Big Con is always going to be tempting. But when I someday pass from this mortal coil, I'd better have some friends in Heaven, because after THIS...I don't __dare__ go to Hell..." James Jessie, the Trickster _

20  
DROWNING IN DOUBT

Green sat together with King and Patty on a train, Junior going off to visit Josef, "King of the Gypsies" as the two green-skinned heroes tapped their respective feet in the air, listening to a rendition of Katrina and the Waves's "Goin' Down To Liverpool".

"Wonderful voice." King insisted to Green as she brushed her thick locks back, with he reaching into his robe to pull out a small cup and a boiling pot. A snap of his three-clawed digits and poof! A tea bag popped up. Another snap and POOF! ANOTHER tea bag popped up. Green tea, naturally. He found it fitting for the occasion in more ways than one.

"Ah, magic." Green mused out loud, chuckling slightly as she was handed her "Green" tea, taking a sip. She always found the taste to be very, very relaxing, and deeply soothing. And the aroma itself was like a tiny waft of Heavenly air filling your nostrils. "How convenient it must be."

"How convenient it CAN be. And how convenient that we're all doing this for Manifest. I know he asked us to work in conjunction with the governments should all go wrong, and I know he alone now seems to have the power to send us back home, but...something about his plan is off." He admitted. "Seeking out only a select few, bringing them to Manhattan, and all the while bumping off any "Reversed" Major Arcana members we find? If they are who I believe they are to be, this means we'll be staging coups." The serpent anthro murmured darkly, taking a small sip from his cup.

"Because of Esther? And the White Knight?" Green assumed. "If Erick is who I think he is, then Esther must be the equivalent of our "Empress", and the White Knight is our "Strength". And he said that "The Devil" is still out there along with "The World". The Lord of the Obscured lost to his counterpart. He's like a cornered animal. And when people are afraid, unsure...they do terrible things."

"My fear is not for anybody in this world. I have a feeling Manifest has much of it in hand. He gives off that acute impression. No, who I fear for are the people of Yurp and Carolina."

"The poor devils have not been doing well, lass." Patty admitted sadly. "Look."

She held up a newspaper that she had bought at a newsstand at Manhattan, the day's "New York Times". On the front was perhaps the most horrific war imagery that Green had ever seen. There were thousands of children lying dead from exploded mines...with "Keys to Heaven" around their necks. The only good that had come from it was that the Red Queen's forces had been devastated by the forces that had assaulted them immediately after the suicidal charge of thousands of poor Carolinians. Now Yurp was on the run.

Cold comfort. 23,843 individuals had died. More than half of them had been teenagers and...

"...what kind of country sends its own children to war..." King whispered softly as he shook his head back and forth, his face becoming pained as Green crumpled up the newspaper in her black-clawed hands, looking disgusted.

"That thing that approved of this is NOTHING like my father." She hissed coldly, eyes glittering darkly.

"The White Knight can't be trusted, but neither can ol' Manifest. I'm sure o' that." Patty insisted to them. "He just...sets off something in my head. A warnin' bell or something. So I think we should keep looking for pieces of the Seal of Metatron. In case he ends up being as bad as we thought he could be before, we'll be ready for him."

"If it works." Green added nervously as their train traversed past a thick grove of forests, filled with shimmering looking glasses, much to King's surprise.

"What the?...something is happening." He gasped as the others in the train looked upon the enormous mirror-esque pillars that were standing tall. "They're replicating...and what if people can enter these as easily as we entered the one in Izzy's lab?"

"If that's true, what would happen if one of the Reversed things got into Kokaua Town?" Green wondered.

"Maybe it's already happened." King murmured as his eyes narrowed. "...all we can do for now is pray our friends can handle themselves, and get this task done with quickly."

...

...

...

...handling things indeed.

Grey was enduring a hell of his own making as old memories began to pass by his face. He found himself walking through near-endless halls, ones that had once been alit with light and life, clean and pristine, filled with workers occasionally fluttering in and out of patient's rooms. But now things were different. Now he felt as though he was moving through mud as all of time seemed to slow around him. He had played this scene out so many times in his head...so many times...and though it had been buried deep in his mind, he remembered it. He could never forget it, even though he'd come close.

What had been a calm and pretty hospital was now filled with panicking workers that were rushing through the wings, all power lost, patients dead all around or struggling to cling to life. He had come to save one of them. He had come to find her. The woman whom for so long he'd foolishly believed had betrayed his father's love. Even though in this memory he'd still had that anger, it was buried now.

Now only sorrow and fear filled him. His hands passed through his past self as a young Grey Nicholas Pelekai struggled to lift his mother up and get her awake.

"No..." Grey murmured as he saw his past self try to manifest his "Kokoro", long before he had trained himself to transfer the shining light of his heart into physical strength and endurance. He knew what was going to happen. "Not this again..."

His mother's life support was failing, his past self whacking her chest, sparks of multicolored light flaring up with each careful strike as he tried to get her chest to rise, her eyes fluttering, mouth opening as she struggled to speak.

"C'mon! WORK!" His past self screamed. "You have to work, you stupid powers! Light her up!..."

"_Save...her_..." Both Grey and his memory sobbed, tears trickling down his cheeks as his mother managed to reach up and hold his past self's cheek.

"Peanut..." She said gently. "Peanut, don't cry. I'm fine...I'm gonna be fine. I need you to be strong, peanut. I...I..."

Her lips moving. She was saying something. Why, why hadn't he been able to hear? What had she said? Grey covered his face as the memory played out, his past self clinging tightly to the turning-cold form of Lilo Pelekai as he screamed and screamed for his mother, like the wail of a wolf crying over lost pups. But all he could think of was was...

What had she said?

"What did you SAY!?" He screamed, banging his fists on the ground and weeping openly as his body was wracked with sobs, finally covering his face with one black-clawed hand. "What did you say..." He whispered.

"That's what you're truly afraid of. It isn't that you fear letting everyone down. You doubt that your mother, the pillar of strength, faced death unafraid. Your biggest fear...was that she died afraid...desperately, futilely, trying to tell you not to be afraid the way SHE was." A calm, collected and cruel voice cooed.

"...Mommy..." Grey whimpered pitiably into his hand.

"She did die in fear. Now share that fear." The voice went on.

Meanwhile, Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel was not in a good place either. Before his eyes was playing out a sickening, twisted scenario. The blood began to pool from underneath his wife's frail body, his children slowly hitting the ground one by one, all of them perishing as terribly as she had. He could hear the beast's laughter. Hear it's joy, it's glee, see the smile upon its face as it crushed every bone in their body and drank the marrow that sloughed out.

"NO!" he screamed as he struggled to try and pull the beast away from their bodies. "No, don't you touch them!"

But he froze when he saw what was on the thing's face. It bore the body of a beast. But the face...

Was his own.

In an instant he was surrounded on all sides by gravestones, skeletal hands clawing out, pointing accusingly at them as thousands of clawed paws, decaying and slowly rotting rose from underneath him, grabbing his body, tugging him down, down, into a fresh, empty grave as the beast with his face sneered down at him...

And began to shovel dirt onto his still-breathing form. He struggled uselessly, screaming at the thing, howling threats of revenge as the dirt began to choke his breath and darkness filled his vision.

"KILL YOU!" He screamed. "I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN! I WILL KILL YOU UNTIL YOU ARE MOST SINCERELY DEAD! I WILL RUIN YOU! YOU WILL DIE FOR THEM, I WILL KILL YOU! Kill...you..."

The nightmare faded, the dark abyss surrounding him as a new one took its place, and he saw his dearest _ohana_ all lying dead, with "H" burn marks on their surprised, shocked faces. All questioning, and questioning...why. Why, Hammy, why? How could you do this? We took you in...we loved you...treated you like you were our own...forgave you...

"No, no...please, no more. Stop this." He tearfully begged out as his knees buckled and he began to bawl like a child. "_Please_, no more..."

"You're pathetic. You really fear turning back to the other path? I'm only trying to flatter you. Do the dead BOTHER you?"

"I love them, don't hurt them anymore, don't hurt them, stop..." He pitiably sobbed.

"You doubt you can stay good. You doubt that you will not turn on them. They will die in fear. Share that fear.

Share...that...fear.

"YOU STOP THIS NOW!" Zachary Archimedes Cadence Kendall roared out, clenching his fists as the form that stood underneath the towering thing that had spawned from within the volcano's belly smiled, folding it's arms. The face was all-too-familiar...Junior Von Hamsterviel's hair, his eyes, the long antennae and rabbit-like ears, but...no trace of joviality, of softness, of gentleness. There was nothing but pitiless delight in seeing two sobbing people almost curled up in fetal positions beside the Major Arcana's token atheist.

"I never ASKED to become what I did. But when I got the ring and became Temperance, I thought it'd be cool. My friends thought it was cool. I made being able to make people feel things cool, the way Nick made a guy being able to sing pop songs cool. What can I say?"

The Cracked Thing smirked coldly, Regent von Hamsterviel throwing back his head and laughing. "I've always taken what my father did and made it better! Taken it one step farther! His species natural inclination for empathy, his genius, his inner charisma and manipulative air...I'm the best there is. It's no surprise I became Grand Councilman."

_"Stop talking like you're Junior." _Zack growled inside his head as he spat on the ground in front of Regent. _"He's hope. He's someone different, someone I can trust. Somebody who'd NEVER torment others with their fear like you, you PATHETIC-" _

"I've taken what Junior was and made it better too. Empathic skills are low-level psychic skills, to an extent...I can hear your thoughts, Mr. Kendall. Such language." Regent laughed. "But I'm not the one bringing their doubts and fears to life. I'm just amplifying that power. You want to cast blame...stop overlooking the obvious. I know you've thought about it. Go ahead."

He gestured with a clawed thumbnail behind him, pointing at the thing in the volcano. "Kill Page."

It was NOT Page, Zack insisted to himself, his aglow pupils gazing at the decayed-furred thing that rose from the volcano of Kokaua Town like Chernabog on Bald Mountain. He had no legs, it was though they'd been ripped from him, leaving a portion of spine dangling below exposed ribcage and pulsing muscle. Golden spikes had been embedded straight in his hands, with golden rings keeping his arms up as blood trickled down from eyes alit with infernal red fire, mouth gaping endlessly...

And the heart. The heart that had burst out and was pumping away, exposed on the front of his chest, the same beautiful color as Page's eyes normally were, quivering with each pained breath that the Sacrificed took. Zack's face changed, becoming less stony and more sympathetic as a mournful expression lingered on his almost girlish face.

"You really can't do it, can you." Regent murmured calmly. "...you're like my other self. So pathetic. You couldn't stand up for yourself when they came for you, couldn't fight back when they dragged you out and beat you...you keep relying on others to come through for you. Well your daddy didn't. Your partners didn't get to you in time. And nobody is coming now to help you stop the Sacrificed. Grey and my "father" here...are just the appetizer."

He licked his lips and began to laugh as he calmly walked down the hillside, Zack glaring at him all the while as he dismissively waved goodbye. "The war's over, f-ggot! AND YOU'VE LOST."

...

...

...

... "Darn it, darn it...aw, DAMN it!" Page screamed furiously as he struggled to get out from underneath the overturned car he'd been left under by his "worse self". He wished God WOULD damn the car and fry it with lightning or something. Or maybe have a giant bull send the thing flying. Something, ANYTHING.

Then again, God didn't usually work that way. God worked in mysterious ways...and sometimes mundane ways.

Page noticed something had fallen off of the car he was now trapped under: a side view mirror that had been broken off, of all things. Though the rain was rising and his head was swimming and soon HE would be swimming if he didn't get himself free, he reached out with his hand, grasping the mirror tightly and pulling it towards him.

His leg. If he could JUST get his leg free.

The rain continued to fall down around him as the water rose higher and higher. He could see in the distance the thing in the volcano...see "himself" fighting with someone, somehow. His friends were in danger, he HAD to help them! He couldn't just wait for somebody to find him...

The rain came harder as he slid back to allow his arm the reach it needed to whack away at the part of the truck that had him pinned. The water level was now up to his chin, but with a few hard strikes, he managed to form a good enough indentation in the car, forcing a chunk of it to break off...giving his leg room to slip out from the piece pinning him down.

In order to turn into spectral light energy and get away, he needed an organic life form nearby, otherwise he couldn't maintain his form for long enough. He'd have to swim out. And he didn't have enough room to do so, nor enough strength to hold his breath until the truck was naturally lifted up by the water.

Instead, he began using the mirror to dig, and dig and DIG, carving out a hole from which he could swim out from underneath the truck.

The water rose higher, his breaths becoming shallow, he was soon working with the water almost up to his nose. He held his head up, taking a deep, long breath before diving down, whacking away and striking at the earth like he'd never done before...

Sure enough, he was rewarded for his efforts. He now had a little tunnel dug out. He quickly swam under the car, popping out into the little "pool" outside, climbing onto a rock and letting out heaving breaths as he struggled to get his bearings, holding his head in one hand, mumbling prayers to his Lord every other breath.

He was free.

His friends.

His head shot up as he whirled around to look back at the volcano...

Something was there, rising up from the Earth. Something that had not been there before.

A large, enormous, mirror-like thing...a looking-glass like the one Izzy had built in-

...suddenly Page was struck with divine inspiration. What if...just WHAT IF...

He hopped off the rock, grabbing ahold of a large, circular stone nearby and rushing at the looking-glass, holding the rock in one furry hand.

Most didn't know this, but Page was a huge sports fan, one of the few things he shared in common with Zack. Especially baseball. In fact, he was a star pitcher for their summer baseball team whenever he wasn't doing church work. He spun his arm like the Million-Dollar-Man, then let the rock fly.

7 years bad luck, perhaps. But one very large spot of good luck right there, because the moment the rock struck it, it shattered into a thousand pieces, and the thing in the volcano stiffened as it somebody had jabbed a-

Somebody somehow HAD.

A large spear was now sticking through the back of the wooden cross, going into the Sacrificed Thing's back. It howled in pain as Page's pond-colored eyes widened in surprise.

Could it truly be that simple? If there were really other examples of those things around the town, around the island, then...

He had to let the others know. He raced towards the volcano, flying through the air with the speed of a hawk, eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists tightly. He prayed he would not be too late.

But unfortunately, someone appeared in his path. A being in black armor, with silver trimmings and thick black shoulder pads, gauntlets that allowed digits with pointed nails to match the blackness of his heart...interestingly, his chest was freely exposed, rather hairy, but white like the head...

The head that all-too-closely resembled a grown-up Junior von Hamsterviel.

"Don't try to run from me, Page." The Cracked's voice spoke calmly, imitating Junior's voice perfectly. "I know how hard it is for you to see me like this. I remember when you got Green and I married, you told me you felt proud of how I took Love seriously, as seriously as I took Peace. You said I was the one of the bravest of all of us, taking the pacifist route."

"You don't look anything like peace or love." Page spoke quietly. "...and I am sorry for that." Experiment 620 insisted, shaking his head back and forth, hovering in the air as his angelic wings fluttered behind him.

"Don't be sorry." The half Muridean, half Experimental-American said quietly. "You know, my mother tried to raise me right in secret. Tried to teach me right because my father couldn't. But as the saying goes, "do or do not, there is no TRY"!"

With that, he rushed through the air, clawed digits digging right into Page's chest and slashing. Page let out a terrible scream, flying back through the air as Regent launched himself again at Page, punching and kicking, knocking him through the air closer towards the town. With another powerful punch, Page's nose seemed to crack and he was launched straight through the window of a library, crashing into Charles as the green-robed rabbit-like Muridean gaped in surprise, helping Page off him as the people nearby looked in horror at the newcomer, waves of yellowish energy rising off of him.

_Fear._

"G-get away from me!" One woman screamed, grabbing a nearby dictionary and tossing it in desperation at the Cracked thing. It bounced off the side of his chest and he frowned, leaping at her.

"NO!" Page screamed as his claws dug into her neck, eyes narrowing as a delighted smell spread across his face. What happened next was one of the most horrifying things that Page and Charles would ever see. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it. As his pointed nails dug into frail furry throat, the Experimental American woman's face was turned to jelly, a wet, slurping sound ripping through the air as her liquefied skin was being sucked into the armored being's body as it rippled like the surface of a lake.

"What have you DONE?!" Charles whispered, looking at the being that was all too much like his father and yet nothing like him at all.

Regent licked his lips as he turned to face them. "You know what you're really missing out on? The taste of meat. It's hot as Hell. Sweet like candy. Dark as a deep kiss." He whispered, eyes aglow with golden/yellow light. "Be it skin, bone, organs, all of it gets absorbed into me so easily. I'm both myself...and millions of...additions." He mused. "They see as I do, think my thoughts..."

"You are beyond sick." Charles decided, something whipping through the air from the folds of his robe, Regent blinking stupidly in surprise.

Flash-bang grenade.

With that, the thing's eyes were blinded as the grenade embedded itself in its head, and Charles immediately began herding people out of the library as Page grabbed ahold of the bookcase nearby and pushed. Like a domino effect, it crashed down onto the nearest one in back of it, then the one behind that. Over and over they came down, one finally striking the still-stunned thing on the head and making him slam into the floor as it struggled to manifest itself, a blobbish, liquidy mess of red SOMETHING that struggled to rise up, looking at Page and seeing-

Tears.

"How could you DO that?!" Page screamed at him, clenching his fists. "She did NOTHING to you!"

"Why do you even care? People die all the-"

"HER NAME WAS KATHRYN!" Page screamed, lifting the table before him up and launching it at the thing, splattering more of its body around the library as he raced over to the librarian's main desk, ripping the computer off of it and holding it over his head as the tears kept falling. "SHE SAT IN THE THIRD ROW EVERY SUNDAY!"

The computer SHATTERED as it struck Regent's head region, Page grabbing ahold of the monitor the computer had used and launching IT through the air. "SHE LIKED MYSTERY NOVELS AND BAKING COOKIES! HER HUSBAND DIED THREE YEARS AGO! I'LL BET YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HER NAME!"

It too shattered as more of the thing was spread around Page rushing into the nearby closet and grabbing a mop, slamming the thing down on the spreading red over and over, continuing to cry. "SHE WAS A GOOD, DECENT WOMAN! THEY'RE ALL GOOD, DECENT PEOPLEANDILOVEEACHANDEVERYONEOFTHEMANDYOU**MURDERED HEEEER!**"

"You're like Grey and "Daddy Dearest"..."

Page whipped his head around, the thing's HEAD slithering off of a large tendril that was rising from a small pool, smirking with a foul light in its eyes. "So let's see how tough you are when your fears are exposed..."

Its eyes glittered yellow.

"I have you NOW, Experiment 620!"

...

...

...

... "I've heard you know kung-fu. Do you know enough kung-fu to beat...BIG DADDY?" Judah von Hamsterviel laughed out loud as he spun his enormous sword around before sheathing it in its container on his back, kicking up and into the air above as the Red Queen's army all frowned. Their spiked helmets looked like tiny pogs with little spikes jutting up through them, all things considered, these "pawns" had rather cute outfits if not for the fact they were all carrying spears. Very sharp and very strong-looking spears.

Still, it was only spears. He privately felt a twinge of gratitude before the "Lion" of the Hamsterviel family leapt through the air and with a single kick knocked one man's head clean off. It sailed thirteen feet through the air and plopped onto the top of another man's spear, the poor schmuck immediately screaming "SCREW THIS" and running off, several dozen others joining him.

"See? HE gets is." Judah snarkily commented as he leapt at the hordes, extending claws and slashing wildly, his legs sweeping left and right as he kicked and punched and clawed, the blood flowing freely as he happily laughed. "Oh, praise the White Knight for putting me where I rightly belonged! This is where a warrior should be." He thought out loud.

KRAKKA-THROOM!

"What in the HELL!?" Judah exclaimed, shielding his head as a sneering platoon on a nearby hill looked down at him. Lo and behold, they were armed with guns. Many...many...guns.

And then there was that guy with the-

"WOAH!"

Rocket launcher.

"Well, I like a challenge." Judah thought out loud to himself as he leapt through the air, taking enormous bounds as he threw himself at the platoon as they fired at him. He spun his body, shifting his weight and avoiding the oncoming lead assault as he punched the ground, a small shockwave making the soldiers tremble before he was in their face, one harsh punch knocking the head of the rocket-launcher-wielder away. Or rather, MOST of it.

"...oops. Shoulda been clean. I need to hit them gym. What do you think?" He asked the other soldiers as they stared at the inside of their former co-patriot's head before screaming and running for their life. He turned as his sister Israel walked up behind him, and he blinked stupidly, eyebrows raised at the sight. Concern for him, yes, but...a different kind of concern. She was looking at him like he was in the middle of stealing somebody's car.

"Judah, what did you just DO?" Izzy asked quietly, eyes wide, shaking her head back and forth.

"I stopped the onslaught, but the next wave will be arriving soon." Judah said as he unsheathed his sword and spun it in one hand. "C'mon, let's do the Double Team."

"You tore almost more than half of a man's head off."

"Kualili said that if we make this sort of thing violent, they'll get intimidated, scared, they'll want to fight less. Don't you want this war over?" Judah wanted to know, looking confused as he looked his sister over.

"I KNOW Grey's dear to you, but-but this is..." Izzy began to say. "The Mad Hatter and I have been talking about the Key to Heaven thing, we think that maybe...it's just...you're getting to be more like the White Knight. More like those bounty hunters. And you're attitude towards the job, it's getting so much like HIS." She finally managed to get out. "Like Drakonakis?"

"...so?" Judah said with a deadpan expression, heading off in the direction of the oncoming Red army tide as Izzy's hands hung at her sides, a deeply sad expression lingering on her face.

"...oh, Judah...can't you see that's not a good thing?" She whispered.

Meanwhile, Page found himself observing a memory playing out...a sunny day upon Hawaii as the wind gently blew palm tree leaves to the west, with a little blond boy discovering a very unusual creature.

"Wooowwww." Past-Charlie whispered, holding a hand to his cheek. "Yo-you look like an angel." He told 620.

Past-620's eyes lit up. These people knew of angels? Perhaps they weren't as dangerous as he'd assumed at first. "Why, I am!" He said quickly, bowing deeply. "I'm a guardian angel. YOUR guardian angel." He told the child. "But you have to keep me a secret." He said,putting a furry digit to his mouth. "It's the good deeds done without expecting recognition that mean the most."

Yes, yes, he remembered, Page thought to himself. Charlie had been living with a foster parent at the time, one that hadn't really understood or sympathized with him. If he'd been old enough, Charlie would have been his cigarette-getter from the store. Instead he mostly harassed Charlie to play sports, do better at school, and, whenever possible, get him those "special bottles" from the fridge. And God forbid he bring anybody over to his house!

Page had changed all that. His possession of the parent time and time again led to Charlie being treated almost like a prince. Things began to go his way. And it hadn't just been HIM. Page had taken it upon himself to shoot into ANYBODY who was being, well, a grumpy-puss. A wave of niceness seemed to settle on the town.

Then that day had come. Now, Page had learned to do many things in his time on Earth. But when he'd been going from tree to tree, following Charlie and his foster parent's car, and had seen the other driver that was trying to get his cell phone off the floor of the car and not looking at the road, he'd done something he'd never done before.

And something he proved unable to do.

He had leapt inside of Rich, Charlie's foster parent, and had tried to take control of the car.

...tried.

...failed.

...crashed.

Charlie didn't die. Charlie COULDN'T die. Charlie couldn't even get hurt. The other driver had managed to swerve away. It was as if he'd been hit by a superhuman burst of good luck.

But Rich was only human.

...Rich had died on impact with a mailbox.

"No." Past-Page whispered as he struggled to get the body he was in working again, his spectral form working desperately to kick-start the heart. "Come on! SAVE HIM! You have to save him! GOD! GOD...damn...it..." He sobbed, finally yanking himself out of Rich's body, shooting into Charlie so he could hide, unsure if the tears that were falling were the boy's or his own...

"You couldn't save him." Regent's voice mocked Page as he clutched his knees, gritting his teeth. "And worse still, they thought you had caused it for so long until you went to that church and talked to the father in the confessional. You got lucky. Too bad Rich wasn't lucky enough."

"...it was not my fault." Page insisted as he opened his eyes, now filled with new understanding.

"You're supposed to be one of God's chosen. If God loved Charlie so much, loved Rich so much, why didn't he save him? Help you?"

"Just because he DIDN'T doesn't mean he COULDN'T have. You can't rely on God to do everything. And I know I can't save everyone. But we TRY." Page said as he rose up, clenching his fists tightly as white light began to shimmer off of him, the illusion fading away as he turned around, knocking the Cracked thing back as he proudly stood his ground. "We do our best with what we have, and we continue to get better and have faith in what we know the ones around us can do! We have faith in our abilities, faith in our family, our friends. I didn't have the skills to help Rich. But I have the skills now to help this town. And I have faith...that I...WILL WIN!"

And with that, he launched himself into the air as all of the illusion shattered and his body became a shimmering bolt. He raced through the air, his fist slamming into mirror after mirror as they were cracked in the streets, the looking glasses breaking one after another as the thing in the volcano screamed, Grey and Rupert snapping free of their imprisonment as Zack helped them up.

"What's going on?" Grey inquired as Zack smiled, looking down the volcano's slope as a speckling light began to extinguish dozens of others that were dotted around the landscape.

"Just hold on." Zack said simply. "...have faith."

"Damn you, damn you!" The Cracked thing yelled as he slunk away. "How is he doing this? What...IS he? What will he **be?!**"

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! Again and again they broke as he flew through them, shattering them. It was as if he had become something beyond the physical, beyond the spiritual. With a final, roaring cry, he soared up into the air, spreading his angelic wings wide, and Page, experiment 620, raced towards the volcano, fist held forward as he struck deep into the heart of the Sacrificed.

Unlike the punch...his voice was soft.

"I forgive you. _God...have mercy._"

And with that, the thing closed its eyes, letting out a soft, quiet, almost happy sigh as it began to transform into tiny white butterflies that faded up into the sky, Page hovering down to the others and watching as the last one vanished into the clouds.

"I wasn't aware that thing had a soul to pray for." Rupert admitted quietly.

"...HE wasn't aware either." Page murmured.


	21. New Moon

-  
REVERSAL

_"Out flew the web and floated wide, the mirror crack'd from side to side; "The curse is come upon me," cried The Lady of Shalott."_

21  
NEW MOON

_After what had happened in Kokaua Town, my family was united in one desire: figuring out the truth behind those damn looking glasses._

_That STUPID invention. The idea came to me in a dream. I'd been up all night, feverishly scribbling out ideas and theorems. Inspiration struck me overnight and by morning I was drawing out the schematics for a type of crystallized…well, I suppose one could call it "energy", but…_

_Knowing what I know now…that's not what it was. It was nothing I should have been fooling around with. And that led me here to this…AWFUL world. It led me to the White Knight._

_He was sweet at first, he really was, but…but there was a darker side to him. One that popped up whenever someone he cared for got hurt in just the little bit. When my brother and I entered his service, he asked us to do things, MAKE things we'd never done before…never made before…never SHOULD have thought about before._

_The worst part was I enjoyed it…_

_…at first._

_Judah KEPT enjoying it, probably IS still enjoying it, he gets so lost in his work, I…_

_I'm rambling. I'm rambling as I write on paper towels from a bathroom…_

_Let me tell you how it happened. How I ended up here. I know any moment he'll come…it'll be the end of me…so you need to know the facts._

The red-haired woman hacked and coughed madly as she curled her body away from the toilet, taking in deep, but rasping breaths, wiping sweat away from her forehead as she finally managed to calm down. She slowly rose back up, going to the purse by the medicine cabinet in the hotel bathroom's sink and taking out a tiny white test. A very SPECIAL test.

"Put in microwave after…heat for…hmm. Never done THIS sort of thing before." She murmured, closing the door. King would be back soon…hopefully in time for the results.

As it were, he WAS back in time, and his golden/yellow eyes widened in surprise, three-digited clawed hand rising to his mouth as he took a step back. "Wh-what? Y-you're…you are SURE?" He whispered.

"…I'm pregnant, King. I'm most definitely pregnant." Patricia Rolar told her husband.

"I should have…this is…this is MUCH to take in, I…I need to sit down, I…" He practically passed out in surprise, the feelings bubbling up from his heart nigh-overwhelming him. He was happy, yes, but also worried, slightly anxious…afraid. He had failed his first children. Failed to help them. Not once. But TWICE…and their lives had been forfeit as a result. Was he ready for this?

Patty rubbed his back, gently resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. "We've got so much to worry over…haven't we?"

"…a baby is a blessing." King insisted quietly, nodding as he turned to caress her cheek. "I'm ready…baby." He added with a hint of a hissing chuckle, kissing her on the forehead.

_King and his wife Patty had been doing "The Hand of God", Manifest Destiny's work along with their friends, going from country to country, seeking the best and brightest. Manifest feared for the world, saying that should the Infection Pandemic that was rising across the nations grow too great, there should be a "safe zone" for the people meant to be the world's future. A "last ditch" resort…_

_One group that had yet to be reached was Kualili, the White Knight's It was King and Patty's investigation that led…to me getting into this mess. See, Kualili's people came from America, were, in a sense, citizens of the United States, but…immigrants. CONSTANT immigrants. Sari had said she'd uncovered "unpleasant details" about their creation and had refused to explain WHY she didn't want to talk about it. So I did some digging whilst Judah went back to preparing more troops for Carolina's fight against the country of Yurp..._

It had been repeated time and time again. War was hell. There was no need to search for the Devil, Israel von Hamsterviel thought as she rubbed the side of her neck, looking out of the window from the luxurious palace of the White Knight. Judah was speaking dramatically to a group of Carolinian men…having captured an unfortunate prisoner. He was attempting to explain what to do with…uncooperative prisoners. The guy was talking.

But…well…he wasn't saying anything useful. He kept talking about how Judah was "ripping off that scene from Scarface". It was too bad, the two were almost getting into a rapport on the finer points of Al Pacino's acting, but Judah had decided to end things with the obscenely giant sword he carried…the one that could GROW…

There was no need to search for the Devil. You wanted to see him, just look around. He could be glimpsed in the eyes of those closest to you if you weren't careful. Izzy pulled away from the window, Kualili passing by the room, one arm around a black-haired youth with a blue tattoo beneath his left eye that imitated an upside down mountain range. He had a fairly large nose, but was darkly handsome in a simple, unassuming way, and carried an air of down-to-earthness, unlike the White Knight.

Indeed, there couldn't have been more of a sharp contrast. The white-furred being's long ears hung low like his thick silvery hair. Everything about him was a shade of white and light grey, it was almost blinding just to look at him, he was a giant pearl with the sun always reflecting off him. In fact, his armor might have been MADE out of pearls for all Izzy knew.

"We're very talented, really." Kualili told him Josef with a chuckle. "My people don't just do windows. We do a LOT. My cousin, a veteran sniper, was recruiting an acquaintance. He was enthusiastically selling his pitch, "Ya get paid by the head. For every guy you kill, you get this-and-that."

"Uh-huh." Josef said, scratching his head.

"But how do you prove how many you've killed?" The acquaintance asks. "BAH! They take your word for it!" The sniper says indignantly. "Is there no honor left in the world"?" Kualili chuckled.

"Heh, that IS funny." Josef admitted. "I never get tired of dark humor."

"I never get tired of you, Josef. I see a lot of…a very old friend in you." Kualili admitted quietly. "…a boy I loved deeply. Heh, he woulda been almost your age, I think, if he hadn't been lost in that river."

His face becomes dark. "How TRAGIC that his only sister should witness him in his drunkenness "accidentally falling out the window". And there were no body…so no proof that he was pushed. Yes, how very strange that it all worked out so well for the Red Princess." He mumbled balefully.

"Makes me glad I'm an only child." Josef laughed nervously. "But I've got eighteen bamillion Romany cousins! It's good to be a Romany rye, my friend!"

_I found out that there was a reason Kualili had such a fondness for Mr. Josef and his Gypsy brethren…his own people lived like that…HAD lived like that...for decades._

_That is, until Kualili went from being the White Knight…to White King of Carolina. Now, his people could live in a place that wouldn't reject them for the color of their skin…or fur…or fangs…or tentacles._

_I foolishly thought the idea of seeing my "cousins"…even if only a reversed reflection of them…would be a welcome change. I really DO love my family, after all…_

_It didn't seem like a problem, having them set up shop in a village of their own making. Nice, peaceful farming country for nice, peaceful traveling farmers with fur._

_…then one day…a few days before Patty was ready to give birth…on the same day that Manifest came to visit…that's when it began to go wrong. That's when I first found the clue that something wasn't right._

"The war is going fairly well...at least, for my dear friend Kualili. With Lewistania and Carolina combined, Yurp hasn't a prayer." Manifest informed The Mad Hatter as he, chef's hat, apron and all, carried a plate of pancakes and bacon into the dining room. Kualili was out, as usual, on the front lines with Judah. He'd taken the eager beaver as his "protégé" of sorts, something Izzy tacitly disapproved of. The Hatter tipped his hat to Manifest and the guests within the mansion who all began chowing down. Patty had to be eating for TWO, after all, a fact King seemed rather proud of. A beautiful baby boy or girl…who knew? They wanted it to be a surprise.

"Going well. That's a funny thing to say about war. War is never well." Junior said, sipping from some apple juice.

He'd gone with his son to the front lines…once. He'd lingered though, and ultimately left. Oh yes…it had been beautiful…beautiful in the same way a thunderstorm was beautiful. The sky turning orange with the unnatural light of exploding phosphorous bombs, whizzing rockets swirling through the air, the graceful beauty of flares falling gently through the night sky, iridescent golden balls on black velvet. It all lit up the night…the charm of weapons of mass destruction belying their foul intent, weapons that his son was ordering to move further and further…weapons his DAUGHTER had helped make.

Izzy ate, but mostly to keep her mind off of those damn weapons. Her father didn't like talking to her or Judah much…he had spoken to Kualili, sure…but he hadn't really been persuasive. If he'd really cared, he would have pressed the issue, but Kualili had dismissed his concerns, had told him and her that "Judah would be alright", that there wasn't anything to worry about, should things get out of hand, Manifest would take care of them.

Yeah. Sure he would. Big emphasis on "sure" with accompanying eyeroll and long, sarcastic drawl!

Her mother Green patted her shoulder, a sympathetic look on her face as she opened her mouth to speak and say something maternal…usually the sort of advice she gave was fairly blunt and to the point…she was NOT the "touchy feely" type. It was kind of funny how in-touch Junior was with his emotions and how hard it was for Green to be totally honest with hers, it was almost like SHE was the guy and HE was the gal.

But no, no, she'd not be hearing any advice from mammia mia. Not this morning. Because it was in that moment that Josef ran into the room, panting and heaving as he held aloft a basket from the kitchen, some food stains on his shirt.

"You have to help me!" He begged. "If you don't save me, I'm a dead man. If you don't find me an antidote, I'll be dead in two minutes!"

Everyone blinked in surprise at him. Josef could be a bit…OUT there…but he was pretty reliable for the most part, and his people seemed to admire him. It was always through Josef that they got their instructions on how they could aid in the war against Yurp, it was through Josef that they'd been administered Manifest's test…Josef seemed to be a natural leader, his hidden greatness shining out occasionally in the way he'd just suddenly speak authoritatively and, moments later, everything that was wrong would be made right.

But as aforementioned…he could be "out there". He had a bit of a weird sense of humor. And he liked…slightly dark stories. So when he said what he said…

"They're poisoned eggs! And I just ate a boiled one for my breakfast!"

"Josef, it's a bit early in the morning for practical jokes." Manifest said, rolling his eyes as he looked out the window at the beautiful full moon in the day sky. Be it before sunset or sunrise, that thing was always so pretty to look at. "Now if you'd greeted me with a hand buzzer, or a cream pie to the face, that woulda been hilarious."

"I'm telling you they're POISONED, smell 'em, here!" He shoved the basket in King's face, the snake sniffing it as Junior walked over and joined him…his red and blue eyes widening.

"Holy SMOKES, they don't smell right at all!" He mumbled.

"Yeeeessssssss. Sit down, Josef." King murmured quietly.

"Sit d-ohhh, is it too late?" Josef gasped in horror, everyone nervously looking around at each other, then squarely at him, as if expecting him to keel over and plop dead on the spot in, well, two minutes!

"No, no, it's nothing like THAT. Just sit down." King said as he took hold of one of the eggs, mumbling under his breath as he and Junior headed for the kitchen. "Junior's "Temperance" powers include various chemicals…I want to do some tests."

…

…

…

…Josef sat in a chair, Manifest patting him comfortingly on the shoulder as Izzy held up a pocket watch on a gold chain, looking from it to him. "You ain't dead yet. Feel any better?" She asked.

"NO!" He snapped as Green looked over in the direction of the kitchen as Patty practiced Lamaze breathing techniques, trying not to be fazed by this. "Where's Kualili? Can't he get a grip on his own people's produce? Set some standards?"

"He's not feeling very well today." Manifest said with a dry chuckle, closing the drapes to the window and obscuring the view of the sky outside.

"Well then someone get a pen and paper! This is the Last Will and Testament of Josef of the Romany Tribe…who departs this world foully murdered by HEN FRUIT." He chuckled dryly. "Kind of ironic. Eggs are my favorite food."

"You're not poisoned." King announced, entering the dining room, holding aloft a cup filled with egg that had been broken open and tested, Junior nodding firmly as the Mad Hatter poured Josef some tea to calm him down, reaching his arm into his hat, pulling out a cup and saucer from within.

"Then what's in those eggs?" Josef demanded to know, about to take a sip before deciding NOT to, since he'd most likely spray it everywhere if he did.

"Nitroglycerin." Junior remarked.

Green's eyes widened. "Ooooooh!"

"WHAT?!" Izzy gasped.

"Huh?" The Mad Hatter gaped.

"The explosive?" Manifest inquired. "No kidding?"

"I had dynamite for my breakfast?!" Josef hollered.

"In **minute** quantities, yes. The chickens that laid them put the nitro in. See, chickens are funny birds. What they eat goes into the eggs they lay. If a chicken eats moth balls, their eggs smell like camphor." Junior told them all. "I would know, believe me, there's an entire race of alien chickens, one time they all got wasted on spiked brownies and the next day their bedroom's bathroom…" He trailed off. "…it was weird. Point is, those eggs, they came from Kualili's village like the rest of the groceries…right?"

"Of course." Manifest said. "…wait…you mean that chickens from some farm in the village have been drinking or eating nitroglycerin? What sort of things could they be doing in there that require **DYNAMITE?**"

"Crooked business." Junior said darkly. "I'd wager those chickens have been drinking contaminated water from a factory making all the tools criminals would need for illicit activities!"

"Could THAT be why no country wanted to keep them? Could they all be a bunch of criminals? Hmm." Manifest rubbed his chin. "Sari never told me much about how they came into existence. She just said that their "big daddy" was an "idiot scientist"."

"I think…it's time we went to go see this "idiot scientist"…went to go see this "peaceful farming village"."

…

…

…

… "This isn't glass."

The Experimental American citizen named Nacht passed a pointed nail over the enormous looking glass in Izzy's laboratory, Nacht's normally calm tone eerily tainted with the faintest hint of...unease...possibly even fear.

"It's not glass at all. And I would know."

Their family had packed the insides of the laboratory. Every single Major Arcana member they could find, every cousin that wasn't busy. All were offering theories, of course. Sparky suggested that it was some kind of "Dark Side" trick brought to life. Kixx suggested brute force, making Grey whack him over the head and straight into the ground. Angel and Stitch had no clue what it could be and suggested Jumba examine it...

No luck, regrettably. And Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel was not having any luck either.

"Go ahead and look it over AGAIN if you want, shan't do any good." Hammy mumbled balefully, ol "Rupe" was not having a very good day. He hated this damnable thing. Sometimes his grandchildren could be SUCH "pains in ze bootz". First Judah being constantly wanting to be called in for scaling village walls and making off with artifacts, Charles's "Um, part of my planet is on fire" calls, Ann's klutziness leading to an incident that looked like it belonged in the "Final Destination" series...

And now, this.

"I am seriously doubting you will being much help, "Devil"." Jumba remarked wryly as a brown-furred, tender-eyed, six-armed furry being much like an Experiment approached it, wearing a teal pair of shorts and sporting wings like that of a rainbow. He passed a hand over the glass...it had not taken in anyone else, thank goodness for that, and now as he felt it...

His voice was sharp and quick. "Tell me something. If you could paint a picture of that terrible, nasty little voice in your head...what would it look like?"

"What?" Lilo asked, scratching her head in confusion. "What's that?"

"The worst part of you. That horrible thing that tells you to break into the cookie jar, to lie to your beloved, to not go to the cops...the slimy thing from under a rock that whispers in your ear and tells you to indulge in your worst tendencies...what does it look like? What does corruption look like? I'll tell you..."

He gestured at the looking glass. "It would look like this." He informed them all.

"Hmm. A crystallized form of evil?" Nacht looked amused. "The doom has come upon us! Tell me…what do you all know of Alfred Lord Tennyson?"

Lilo snapped her fingers. "Ooh, ooh!" She spoke dramatically, waving her arms in the air. "Out flew the web and floated wide, the mirror crack'd from side to side; "The doom is come upon me," cried The Lady of Shalott!" Is THAT the poem you're thinking of?"

"It's "curse"…but close enough." Nacht said solemnly. "And a fitting poem indeed. Dark Energy thrives on negative and "dark" emotions...it's almost pure evil itself. This could be a strain of that...an offshoot. To make glass intense, VERY intense heat is required...hellfire's flames, perhaps?" The Experimental American chuckled slightly. "And a curse has come upon us all…_hasn't it?_"

"Everything began to change when I first struck that thing." Grey said, giving the looking-glass a rap with his knuckles, frowning with his green-tinted black eyes. "We've all been struggling because our memories are being fooled around with. Every day it becomes harder and harder to know what's real and what isn't."

The red-haired Logosian in the back "he-hemed", everyone turning to look at him, eyes drawn not to the old, thick rubbed-in wound around his neck from a noose, but his hands as he began to gesture, using sign language.

"I think I know why." Grey translated, rubbing the mood necklace around his neck, the thing that enabled him his avid understanding of all languages. "He's saying...that he received a revelation some time ago, the same as others...and...and he's saying...that we'd all forgotten someone important. Someone who played such a vital role in our lives that with him gone...it established a new timeline of events."

"What?" Lilo gasped in surprise.

"Who?" Jumba murmured.

"I can see his face." Rupert whispered. "...kind eyes. Good eyes. Hazel eyes..."

"My father." Grey told them all. "...your husband." He told Lilo. "With his death, he released something into history from a certain point in time, and that thing was the Knowledge of the Moral Law. Compassion, justice, love, the things that people need to show others, the things he spent his life trying to fight for, the things that he felt were moral absolutes..."

"I think I get it now." Rupert spoke up. "Our Nick in our world was POTENTIAL, that was his truly most powerful power. And he used that spark of real potential to introduce something that could change all reality. And now that other Nick is changing reality over there, and every time some big move is made THERE, it affects us over HERE, and vice-a-vers-a!"

"It's possible." Jumba admitted.

"More than possible. It MUST be so." Rupert insisted firmly.

"If Manifest needs to kill people to gain more power, I doubt he's up to anything good." Lilo spoke up. "Especially if he's killing us...well, other versions of us."

"But what can we do here?" Page asked quietly. "The doorway there seems blocked now. Our only source of information comes...when one of us MA...shuffles off the mortal coil."

"We need others who can help alter reality the way this looking glass pierced through ours and into another. Where's Mikhail? Staccato? Snizzi?" Dr. Rupert snapped. "Where are they hidingly hiding away? Why has nobody called them?"

"Any passageways to Heaven or Hell are just...sealed up. It's like EVERYBODY in EVERY place is losing control." Shin murmured quietly. "I tried to reach them, I really did."

"So the only person that might know what this guy is up to killed himself to make the knowledge of universal morality real, the big bad is wearing our friend's faces and killing off Major Arcana members like flies, and our only window/door to the truth just got "Cask of Amontillado" on us." Lilo reasoned.

"Bit by bit, he seals our doom...leaves us without our loved ones...and is bringing our world, most likely, to some terrible end, here...AND there." Jumba worried.

"In pace resquiat." Rupert chuckled darkly.

... "I mean, you do SEE, don't you?" A figure with a fringe of bright green hair and slender claws insisted as he stopped typing at an old-fashioned typewriter, turning to look a pinkish, koala-like being in the eyes as he waved a black claw in the air, a writer's look about him. "You've got this dashing young hero, Joshua Campbell, brave, upstanding, he skied all the way to his village, dripping with sweat he went twenty miles to avoid the-"

"He's FORTY now." R-Angel insisted to R-Dan. She sat on a chair some distance from a set of linden trees as a furry, vaguely angelic Experimental American put up some black and orange streamers. It was Halloween, and time for treats...and tricks! Well, really, mostly treats, as in sugary candy that would rot your teeth out in twenty seconds.

"No, no, Angel!" R-Dan moaned, shaking his head back and forth. "I see him more like...25?"

"Land's sakes, Dan! I've been writing him for 20 years, he was at LEAST 20 when I started." R-Angel told him, frowning at the yellow-furred R-Dan.

"But if you make him FORTY, we can't have any sexual tension between him and the darling Naomi! That'd make him a bit of a dirty old man, you see?" R-Dan insisted.

"Ugh. My husband was right, I should have stopped at Book 5." She mumbled, holding her paws over her face. "But all the people who've read my books NOW how old he is!"

"It's not a BOOK, it's a play!" R-Dan insisted loudly. "I told you already, ma'am! We need SOME sexual tension. You know how it is." He said, gesticulating with his paws. "They're nervous at first, antagonistic, but secretly they like each other until finally-"

"Except Joshua didn't care for women." R-Angel added as she sipped from her cup of coffee.

"Wh-WHAAAT? You can't make him a PANSY of...I mean..." R-Dan stuttered. "He's a rugged, outdoor type, he goes SKIING-"

"Nooooo...he's **SIXTY!**" R-Angel screeched at him.

"What a charming village." King remarked as he walked through the streets of Streamside, named for the charming streams that ran on the sides of the fine country home for countless Experimental citizens. There was a quaint, but pleasant air about the place, and the smell of apple cider, sugar and bread wafted lazily into the air as the sun began to set. King put one arm around Patty, seeing she was cold, and nuzzled her cheek as he did so.

Junior would have come, but he had decided to go with Josef to the Romany fairgrounds, leaving Green and the Mad Hatter to come take a look at the village with them. What the Hatter found most interesting was a game several dozen children were playing around a coal fire of some kind...no, not coal. Upon further examination, they were candied and sugared plums soaked in liquor with a fire roasting beneath, tiny embers flickering up as the kids snatched away at the plums with their paws, chanting a song as they did so, the little melody hauntingly ringing through the air and bringing a slight chill more unsettling than any fall breeze.

**_Snip, snap, dragon! Snip, snap, dragon! Do take care, don't take too much, be not greedy in your clutch! Snip, snap, dragon! _**

"Interesting game." The Mad Hatter admitted, rubbing his chin.

**_With his blue and lapping tongue, many of you will be stung! Snip, snap, dragon!_**

"What a creepy song." Green remarked. "And I know creepy." She added.

**_For he snaps at all that comes, snatching at his feast of plums! Snip, snap, dragon! Snip, snap, dragon! _**They chanted, getting louder and louder with each attempted "snap".

"Alright, that's enough." A crimson-haired female Experiment that looked all-too-similar to Heatwave clapped her hands, showing off her sharp teeth in a grin. "Time for you all to get home, I've probably spoiled your dinner completely."

Several of the children whined at this, but she just wagged a pointed nail in the air, shaking her head back and forth before the children all left for their respective homes, Heatwave turning to bow at the newcomers to her village. She was dressed in attire similar to the Middle East: linen shirt that showed her belly, long, flowing pants, earrings, necklaces, a hood around her head, lowered now to show off ALL her hair. "My name's Heatwaver, but everyone calls me Heatwave." She said. "It's catchier."

"Green." Green said, shaking R-Heatwave's paw. "And this is-"

"The Mad Hatter. I hear you've got a fine collection of hats, hoods and other heady garments." R-Heatwave remarked, stroking her chin. "By any chance, do you have one similar to this?" She wanted to know, pointing at her own hood. "There's this big hole near the bottom, see..."

"One moment." The Hatter said cheerily, taking his hat off and reaching deep inside, pulling out a "Boston Red Sox" cap that made him chuckle "Go Bosox" underneath his breath, a yarmulke, then, finally, the hood she wanted. "Here you go."

"You're awfully nice for a stranger." R-Heatwave admitted.

"Us gentemen never refuse a lady's request, ESPECIALLY if she's pretty. You've got BEAUTIFUL black eyes." He told her. "Nice pupils, too...make you look like you're a jack-o-lantern, with candles in your doorway to the soul."

"So you DO hit on anything that moves." R-Heatwave laughed. "The rumors were true. Here's another rumor that's totally true. All the people of Streamside are very nice people." R-Heatwave insisted. "Do you like my dress? Angel made it for me. It's Halloween you see, we're dressing up as the scariest things we can think of. I chose a Muslim heathen!"

Green began to laugh, the stunned and ornately-dressed Experimental American scratching her head at this. "Did I say something amusing?"

"It's-just…heh-heh-heh. Ohh, you don't get it, but when I tell my friend about this, she's going to _LAAAAAUGH._" Green managed to giggle out.

"You'll be staying the night? Why not sleep over at the place I'm lodging in? It's a very pleasant little cottage that Ms. Angel and her husband made into a boarding house..."

…

…

…

…King and his wife had, by providence, ended up in the same boarding house cottage that Green and the Mad Hatter had been, the only difference was that they'd been brought in not by Heatwave, but by the co-owner of the boarding house, none other than Stitch, or at least, this world's version thereof. He had let himself go slightly, he had a fairly ample gut and smelled...well, odd. Very odd. His wife had a weird smell too, but it was a bit more enjoyably exotic, unlike his smell, which seemed like he'd been rolling around among dirt and grime, even though his fur was impeccably washed and groomed, and his nails looked...well, MANICURED. How very strange, Green thought to herself, rubbing her head as a throbbing headache began to pound away like hammers against the inside of her skull.

Their room, luckily, was of extremely gracious proportions, but beyond that, it had nothing good to speak of. Green could feel broken springs under the saggy sofa she was sitting on, King and his wife were sitting in faded armchairs that didn't look much better, the wallpaper was faded and a tacky shade of brownish yellow, and the carpet had holes in it. Truth be told, the holes were an improvement, the design of the carpet was abysmal. One window was open, and unfortunately, despite multiple attempts from everyone to get the damn thing shut-

"CLOSE! CLOSE! CLOSE!" The Hatter yelled angrily, trying to yank it down.

"We tried once before, just ended up pulling the whole wall down." R-Stitch admitted sheepishly.

"Land's sakes. Well, despite all that, we try to keep this place as good and cheery and comfy as possible. Our little boarding-house is just like your old grandma's place would be: no telephone, no TV, no electricity, just quiet."

_"Oh Lord, why you forsake me?"_ Green thought to herself.

"It was either this room or the one down the hall."

"What's the difference, if ya don't mind me askin'?" Patricia inquired in her charming Irish voice.

"One less blanket, very squeaky springs, and with that room, you might have to take a walk."

"...I...see." Patty said, gulping slightly. "Well it's a LOVELY room and a LOVELY house. Yes, you're all very nice people!"  
"Land's sakes, that's what everyone says!" R-Angel laughed.

"Uh, bit of an issue!" A voice from downstairs called up as a form ascended the stairs and nervously rubbed one paw. "I cut my hand, bled all over the beans we were going to have for tonight." R-Heatwave admitted sheepishly. "See, here at the house everyone does SOME chores..."

"...right..." Patty said, turning a bit pale.

"But it'll be alright, we're boiling them, right? Everything's fine if you just boil it."

"...let's go OUT for dinner." Patty finally said, pulling her face slightly down as she let out a deep groan, rolling her eyes.

…

…

…

… "Well, isn't THIS a pleasant surprise!" Green growled darkly, claws twitching with a desire to cave in skull.

An all-too familiar light-brown-furred Experimental form was tied up to a chair in a certain experiment's fire-grill public house and dining hall, specifically, the exquisite Frenchfry, who's small little mustache twitched as a white-furred, angelic draconic experiment stood nearby, arms folded, looking proud. The crowd within the pub had been quite eager to show their visitors their catch.

"Sammy here WAS once one of us until he, as you say, "buggered off". We always suspected he had gone to New York, he was a "gold diggah"." R-Frenchfry growled out.

"And you CAUGHT him?" King inquired as the unmistakable face of Chibisuke turned to them, firmly nodding.

"I caught him sneaking through our trash cans. I KNEW it was more than just a raccoon." R-Chibisuke said proudly, patting his fist on his chest. "Mamma didn't raaaaaise no fool! And Papa didn't raaaaaise me at all!"

The reversed Samael had a stupid looking expression of peace on his face as he bobbed his head back and forth, happily humming to himself as everyone looked at each other, then at him. "What're YOU so happy about?" The Hatter inquired, noticing he was clutching a strange tome to his chest.

"I have seen the Light that the World has given us. The light within the darkness. All was made clear when I left Manhattan. I could have stayed within that beautiful land of dreams, but I knew I had to return to the place where the World had originated from. Our creator...our brilliant creator..." The Fallen went on cheerily, his pupils shimmering, almost clouded with haziness. "So amazing. We were all as caterpillars, and he created the cocoons from which we emerged as beautiful butterflies, none more beautiful than our Monarch, who even now watches over us all as the World commands him." King's eyes narrowed. Monarch...a ruler...a ruler related to the Experiments, and "The World"...could the Obscured be here? Here in Streamside, watching them with the aid of a comrade?

"Let's stick him in some other room. I don't like looking at this heathen." R-Heatwave mumbled as Chibisuke lifted him up and took him into the basement. "He ran away from us, his family, his beloved. He's the WORST kind of blood traitor! Allah will smite him at the time of judgment..." She growled, clenching pointed nails. "WOW, I am REALLY getting in character, aren't I?" She laughed.

"You have NO idea." King chuckled.

"Look, look, what you should do is get him interrogated on what he's doing here. I mean, he's been gone for years, and he only shows up just NOW? Something is seriously not right." Green spoke up.

"I'll go in if you'd like." One fat little experiment oddly resembling Jumba Jookiba offered.

"No, no. You've got a watch on. We want to keep him disoriented." Green insisted. "I'll talk to him." She offered, entering the basement with Chibisuke as he guarded the exit. "Sammy, listen. I'm just here to talk. Why don't you tell me more about...The World?" The Fallen smiled broadly at her. "Oh, Green. You've never met him. I know you think you and your friends have, but you haven't. If you'd met him, you'd know that he is positively amazing. He's EVERYTHING, Green. EVERYTHING." he laughed, holding up the book that read "The World: Our Lord". "...really?" Green said softly, one eyebrow raised.

"I have learned all from him, Green. And I have learned, most of all, to forgive Manifest. I no longer hate him. I pity him. The World pities all its enemies."

"Well, if you don't tell me what "The World" looks like, or where he can be found..." Green reasoned as she walked around in back of the Fallen, suddenly grabbing his head and leaning in to whisper darkly in his ear. "I'm going to pity you to **death.**"

"I pity you, Green." The Fallen said simply. "I know how you killed those other Major Arcana members. You were a good child entering this place. Now look at you. You were helpful, brave, good-hearted...and yet you're becoming so very VIOLENT. Have you noticed WHY?...because HE has, Green. The World sees all with his unseeing deadeyes."

"Don't s-screw around with me, Sammy-boy." Green hissed. "You're not exactly a good guy here in this world. And the people upstairs don't seem to like you very much. If I say you "tried to escape" and you tragically "crushed your head against the wall", do you think anyone would care?" "I'd care." R-Chibisuke spoke up.  
"Really?" Green asked quietly, looking back at him.

"...well...a LITTLE." R-Chibisuke finally admitted.

"You're a very nice person, child." The Fallen angel Samael told him. "The World is proud of you." "Ohhh. Thank him-er, thank you...thank you both for noticing!" R-Chibisuke murmured nervously, blushing visibly as he sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

_"Dear LORD, he seems spineless all of a sudden. I know the Devil's supposed to be charismatic, but this is REALLY quick..." _Green thought to herself.

"You should read this. It'll change your life." Samael said, pointing at his book as Green grabbed it from him and looked through it, groaning as she finally tossed it to R-Chibisuke, who looked at its cover. "**_The Woooooorld our Looooord, praise be to heeeeee...promised he would proteeeeeect meeeeee..._**"

"Are you SERIOUS? This is ridiculous stuff." She said. "RIGHT, Chibisuke?" "Er...right! Yeah!" R-Chibisuke said quickly, nodding vigorously.

"I mean, have you READ that crap?!" Green asked The Fallen.

He raised an imaginary eyebrow at them. "...have **you?**" "I say, is everyone alright down there?" R-Dan asked, sticking her head down into the basement.

FIVE MINUTES LATER...

"**_The Woooooorld our Looooord, praise be to heeeeee...promised he would proteeeeeect meeeeee..._**"

"Y'know what? Make sure nobody else goes down into that basement unless their name is ME and they have the prettiest green and black eyes you ever saw." Green told Frenchfry with an annoyed glance back into the basement, the reversed Chibisuke, Dan and Samael all singing together.

"**_He shall cheeeerish me...correcteth me..._**"

"YOU'RE AS GODLESS AS PYGMIES IN THE AMAZON!" R-Heatwave snarled angrily down the basement steps.

"Er, Angel, tell me more about your…people." King asked as he took Angel aside, Patty walking alongside him and Stitch as the two headed outside for a breath of fresh air, a slightly chilling wind biting at their arms.

"Well, our father, Jumba, is a great man. Land's sakes, he patched us all together with magic, ya know." R-Angel said, putting a paw on her chest as they walked alongside an inn, their feet brushing aside a veritable nature's quilt of leaves with each step as door chimes jingled in the distance. "But of course, he couldn't keep doing it that way, we thought. Don't get us wrong, we were lil' caterpillars and he made us butterflies, but still…"

"So we tried for our own children. Most of us did well, except for…me and my own wife." R-Stitch admitted quietly. "Our child was…he's not well." R-Stitch trailed off. "…no. Not well at all."

"I got sick, and during that time…" R-Angel trailed off herself, trying to suppress a sob.

"…I see." King murmured. "…I'm a psychiatric doctor and experienced with medicinal ways, can I ask…the specifics?"

"…he…he had…strange eyes." R-Angel murmured. "…his…his pupils went…glassy and…and he was so small and…" She covered her face with one paw. "He's a sweet child, but…but even though he's twenty he never got beyond the age of eight…"

"…that IS serious." King whispered, suddenly stiffening as he heard the unmistakable howl that rippled through the air, looking far off into the distance at the rolling hillsides some distance away.

"Oh, you're not SCARED are you? Land's sakes, just a coyote!." R-Angel laughed, chuckling slightly. "Kualili's tried to scare 'em off. But coyotes are pretty harmless to us."

"We're going to go get Green and the Hatter and head back to your inn." King decided, bowing his head. "Th-thank you for your time." He murmured, quickly leading Patty away.

Coyotes. COYOTES. **HA.**

Coyotes weren't found ANYWHERE in Europe. For Pete's sakes, they were called the "American Jackal"! And that hadn't been the call of a wolf, either. It was far too high-pitched…

The people in Streamside were all very nice people.

But those faces…so smiling and happy…

…what secrets did they conceal?


	22. Quiet Cruelty

-  
REVERSAL

_"Each dying breath flung from his breast swift, bubbling jets of gore, and the dark sprinklings of the rain of blood fell upon me…not sweeter is the rain of heaven to cornland, when the green sheathe teems with grain…" Aeschylus, "Agamemnon"_

22  
QUIET CRUELTY

_It's a simple procedure. For us…painless. _

_And they?_

_They don't feel much of anything. They're already…_

_I realized the truth quickly. See…I've never been back to Jumba. The vomiting, that…that was meant to be fixed with new flesh. But no. No. I kept this body. It suited me fine. I could deal with the occasional sickness._

_I'm not so cruel that I'd want more sacrificed just to keep me alive._

_…I'd like to think…_

_…that counts for something._

Kualili had always had an affection for those constantly wandering. He had seen too much of himself in the self-described "Moses" of the Romany, and as such, when he'd told Josef about their new, hopefully permanent home not too far from his own palace, he'd been overjoyed when they'd said yes.

Despite the cheery optimism of the prospects before them, that all they needed to do was answer a minor questionnaire, per Manifest's request…the weather seemed to disagree with Josef and his people. The day had become overcast, a miasma of solemn intent filling the skies as Junior strode over to Josef, having intermingled with the Romany along with his "Romany Rye" guide all day. It was tedious work, in a sense, constantly getting up and sitting down, filling out forms, questioning the people, testing them, all to find the best and brightest. The thing that comforted Junior was that the test they were administering had nothing "Standardized" about it, they were seeking members of the Romany with great creative and critical thinking skills, not those that had the ability to just regurgitate answers by rote. Manifest had made it clear that the future generation that survived the Infection HAD to be the kind to think outside the box, HAD to be the kind that kept the "true spirit of Life" alive.

"It's comforting to know that Math won't count first as the "true spirit of Life"." Junior told Josef as he sat down with him, the gypsy currently sipping a beer, looking oddly...tired. And Junior felt he knew why. "You know, Teddy Roosevelt was an old lion of a politician, but he said something I really agree with, and I think it applies to you, Josef. "Some people are born great, others have it thrust upon them". When I became a page, an assistant at the Galactic Federal Alliance, I never asked for people to remotely look up to me, I just wanted a position in politics where I could do some good. But I had greatness thrust on me, I became Grand Councilman because I was the best one suited for the job at a time when a gaping void had sprung...and I took it, because to me, politics is about doing well for the people."

"So?"

"So...I kinda see the same circumstances arising." Junior admitted. "No Romany has ever been Infected yet, for some strange reason, but now people are nervous, afraid...and have you noticed how everyone keeps asking you for advice and help? You're connected, you've got a good head on your shoulders...I can't believe I'm spelling this out but...you're getting greatness thrust upon you as the de-facto leader of a formerly leaderless race." He leaned back on the bench. "...you don't look quite as happy as I'd thought you'd be. Is something bothering you?"

Josef set his alcohol down, sat up and walked down the street toward the city's river bridge. He buttoned his heavy brown coat and tightened his scarf and Junior followed after him.

"You seem to think that I was oblivious to this...but I have known for a long time now and the longer that time has passed, the more depressed I have become." He spoke solemnly, sinking his hands into his coat pockets. "You presumed of my automatic happiness, but I apologize for as I have just said, I hold none."

"Depressed?" Junior inquired, rubbing the blue ring on his finger as a cup of red wine formed in one paw. He raised it to his mouth, but then hesitated, that familiar, horrible face of the Cracked thing surging into his mind, the way the wine had poured out of its mouth like a cascading fountain of blood...

He decided on white wine instead, taking another rub of the ring as he sipped from the golden cup. "I can tell that without being an empath, but I AM confused. Why so? The war's not touched the Romany, and Kualili's promised it never will. He seems to really, really care for you. Are you afraid that the war will reach your people, or worse, the Infection?"

"Heh."

A snorting chuckle as Junior whipped his head in Princess's direction as she walked off, shaking her head back and forth, mumbling how STUPID he could be, the half Muridean, half Experimental American blinking in confusion. The people here in this world...all so full of riddles!

"No, you don't understand." Josef said a bit more firmly, going over to the bridge and putting his hands on the railings. "I'm sure they will be alright, but it's not about my people. Listen, I understand you were thrown into your position, but you still willingly went into the field in which you ended up there. I did not."

"What are you getting at?"

"Junior, I did not choose to be in this position I am coming into, nor do I wish to be. You see?"

"...forgive me for ASKING, Josef but...why not?"

"My reasons are my own, Junior. For you, I tell you that I simply do not wish to be a leader, that is the beginning and the end of it." Josef answered, turning his back to him to look over the bridge. "I agree with you that there are those who are thrown into powerful positions, but I disagree that they have no say in it. I am sorry, but I must decline."

"Josef, forgive me for saying this but...the whole world is the enemy of people like us right now. You're living in a world filled with fear, uncertainty...and those monsters that our parents talked about NOT living under our bed...are REAL." Junior said firmly, trying not to use his empathic powers to "convince" Josef, as tempting as it was becoming. "This is not the time to say "Pass" when somebody hands you the Holy Grail and tells you to head to King Arthur, post haste."

"I'm sorry, but no." Josef replied in the same solemn, simple tone, albeit a faint undercurrent of frustration rising in him. "I am not a leader, nor have I ever wanted to. The many Gypsy Kings who have lead my people in the past are the true leaders, and I will be more than happy to support them however I can." He looked up at the night scare, now coming across as more fearful. "I'm also beginning to worry about something."

Junior raised one ear and lowered the other, arms folded across his chest. _Be open, be receptive, bottle up that anger, bottle up that irritation, hear him out..._ He thought to himself. He wasn't angry, just very irritated. The Romany needed a strong leader. Josef might have thought himself a clever kid, but he was dumb as a rock. Couldn't he see what was obvious to everyone else? The world NEEDED someone like him, the ROMANY needed a leader like him. That wasn't something you could shove under a rock!

"What are you worried over?" Junior asked gently.

"I fear for the future of the Romany. The general mood right now is that when the war is won and Yurp is destroyed, everything will be fine. But I do not see it as such. I fear that the Yurpeans will one day seek revenge for their Empire's destruction on their enemies, and by now, they are fully aware of the Romany's part."

Junior nodded slightly. "Yes, and?"

"We are already the Yurpeans sworn enemy. In a few decades, there is no doubt they'll see to it my people are wiped off the earth in revenge. That is what I fear."

"But Manifest just made an alliance with the Bolsheviks two days ago. They'll be running post-Imperial Yurp after the war. They seem like very nice people." Junior reasoned. "Very honest in their convictions."

"Even if they are, even if that DOES happen, then the fate of my people against the Yurpeans wrath will merely be postponed, but even in that case, the Communists will quickly just become the replacement enemy for Lewistania and Carolina. The future is grim, I fear. A cold war appears on the horizon."

"N...N-no, It WILL work."

"Maybe you're right, Junior, but maybe you're wrong. But that's not the current matter at hand. I DO wish to help in any way I can and I will be happy to join the fighting when I am recalled for my time in the trenches. Let me lead a platoon across the battlefield, but…but so many?" He asked, jabbing a thumb back in the direction they'd come. "…no, no I… I cannot be my people's leader." He murmured.

"There won't be a cold war, Josef. We'd never let that happen. Manifest wouldn't let that happen, neither would the other leaders. You all came far too close to destroying the world, this is the one time people need to put aside petty concerns..."

A subtle "hint-hint-hint" underlying his tone, he folded his arms. "To rise up, to listen to our better angels. You're far too cynical, Josef. Have some faith in your fellow man...and in yourself. I think you'd make a fine leader if you only gave yourself a chance. Anybody can fight on the front lines, my poor son Judah and his sister are a living testament to that."

"Heh." Josef chuckled slightly.

"But being able to really make a stand for something...that only comes along once or twice in a lifetime." Junior finished poignantly.

Josef looked away in a downwards direction with his head deep within his coat collar. He finally shook his head and walked over the bridge arch, sighing defeated, "No. I'm sorry. I have to return now to my batallion's camp. Have a safe night, Junior."

Junior strode forward, putting a paw on Josef's shoulder. "Josef, wait, don't be like that." He said gently, his eyes turning a momentary shade of deep bluish green, as a desire to be honest came forth from Josef. "Please, talk to me. I'm not forcing you into anything, I just want to know why you're loathe to jump at the call. I doubt it would even be for very long, maybe a year, maybe less. Please don't shut me out like this, I only want to help you and your people."

"I'd like to know why you're so concerned for a world that's not your own." Josef found himself saying.

"Because it's what MY people do. Take care of places that aren't our own. And we do it very well, and we've done it often, and once we have...they become our own, because they become our _ohana_, our family...quirks and all."

"I'm not YOU, Junior." Josef replied, now sounding exasperated. "I'm **not** a hero, I'm not a leader. I'm one, ordinary man! I know you want you want to help my people, and I welcome that, and I'll even try and help you find a leader for my people." He walked to the very edge of the bridged, right in front of the railing, raising his hands in the air. If he was not careful, he ran the risk of falling off. "But I'm NOT leading them. No means no, Junior, I'm sure you'll come to respect my decision."

"I can UNDERSTAND it...but I can't respect a selfish decision." Junior said, a tone of annoyance entering his voice. "There is no such THING as "ordinary"! Everybody's special in some way, and I can SEE a specialness in you, but instead, you choose to remain...you are taking the easy way out, plain and simple! You could BE a hero if you had some courage! What about your life is so terrible and hard that it's keeping you from taking a chance to better the lives of thousands?"

"I'm NOT being selfish!" Josef snapped back, but not looking at him, and instead looking out over the bridge. "Do you want to know my true reasons? Because I'll fuck it up! I've fucked EVERYTHING in my life up. I've been married more than once, I have proved to be an idiot whenever the leaders have delegated tasks to me. And yet, YOU want ME to become the Uncle Sam of my people! I'm doing them a favour by keeping myself out of their leadership. That's not selfish, that is sensibility!"

For what seemed to be many minutes the two did nothing but stand there, looking at each other. And then…

And then Junior did something unexpected.

He laughed a little.

"Th-that's IT? Josef, really, you're...you're scared you'll screw UP? Heh..." He covered his face, chuckling a bit. "Josef, really, that's not such a big thing to worry over, even if you're a "repeat offender". There is no "Three Strikes Rule" in Life!"

"What would you know about it anyhow? I'll bet you don't know anything about what I've got to worry about." Josef muttered quickly, folding his arms furiously and "harrumphing". "You've never had to worry about people trying to kill you just because of where you come from. You'll never have the pressure of looking after THOUSANDS, I'll bet-"

"Let...me...paint you a picture...of my normal day at work." Junior said, chuckling slightly, his chuckling turning dark as he slowly advanced, his tone becoming more and more dangerous and dark, all-too-much like Regent's as he advanced towards Josef.

"O-okay..."

"At 4:00 I wake up to meet with the Bivalvan delegates who all but beg the Galactic Federal Alliance's armada to intervene in the civil war THEY started and kept going. THEN at 6:00 I will have to eat my breakfast at the same time as the Illithid Council tries to justify their latest attack on a colony, following which I will tell them, in no uncertain terms, that I have frozen all their bank accounts. Desperately hoping security will escort them away before these mind-flayers suck out my gray matter by chewing through my skull, I then have to rush over to my office and sign an embargo form which will then be relayed to the armada. Then, an hour later, I'll be spending the rest of my morning in a meeting in the Federation Hall debating taxation. After which, I'll spend 8 hours working on paperwork for planets who need emergency relief funds for natural disasters they've endured, all the while being whispered at behind my back because my father tried to take over the galaxy and my mother is an illegitimate child, and every other week I have to avoid an assassination attempt by these same sort of people. And every OTHER OTHER week I'm trying to avoid people trying to kill me off for my policies! But you know what? I don't CARE about where I came from or what I have to put up with and I don't CARE about how afraid I might be to keep going because I KNOW..."

He shoved Josef in the chest, towards the edge of the bridge.

THWUMP!

"That people!"

TWHUMP!

"Need! MY! HELP!"

THWUMP!

Josef was not teetering aaaall too close to going off the edge as Junior leaned in, his eyes slit, growling furiously. "So if you really wanna talk about how your life is SOOOOO hard, let me spell it out simply. **YOU-DON'T-KNOW-DIFFICULT!**!" He roared, giving Josef a final shove.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" **SPLOOSH!**

Junior blinked in surprise, looking down at his paws as he stupidly exclaimed "Did…did I just do that?"

"Great. SECOND time somebody I trusted pushed me into a river!" Josef mumbled as he spat out a fish, emerging from the water as Junior's eyes suddenly went wide. Suddenly it came to him, a moment of crystallization…

"Vladimir." He said firmly. "…why didn't you tell us who you really were?"

Vladimir, the long-lost brother, the "Red Prince" of Yurp, sighed as he brushed his black hair back a bit, looking up from the riverbank. "…I didn't really wanna remember."

Well. It wasn't long before he and Junior were sitting in the palace, a blanket draped over "Josef", aka Vladimir, as Junior handed him some hot cocoa he'd made himself. "Over the years I had this…this idea." He told Junior softly, taking quiet sips of cocoa as they sat by the fireplace. "This idea of a sister. An idea of a family life. I had no real friends for years until I got to be handsome five years ago, then people started noticing me, taking what I said seriously. And…and my idea, my fantasy…that helped me so much."

He took another sip. "I could have gone back. Merrily knew I was alive. She wanted to tell Melanie, but I insisted she not do it, cuz…" Vladimir hesitated. "…whenever I was really, really unhappy, I'd…I'd picture this sister of mine. This supportive, courageous, clever little girl I was proud to call my sis, and…and if I met up with who she really was, then…I don't think I would have been able to handle that. I can barely stand hearing the rumors and whispered words about what she's done." He told Junior. "And I blamed my mother for what happened to me for so long, because…because she didn't come looking for me. She just assumed I'd died, and…and to go back to HER after all this time and…and tell her the truth…what would I even say? What COULD I say, it's…it's…"

"Like some bad soap-opera, right?" Junior said sympathetically, patting his back. "Look, I'm…I'm sorry. Sorry for losing my temper. You don't HAVE to be a leader of anything, really. Maybe you should put your own house in order and…just go and…say "hi" to her. Talk it out for a while over hot cocoa or something. What you need to say will come to you."

"…I don't think it works that way." Vladimir mumbled.

"Sometimes that's why it DOES work." Junior chuckled, walking up and giving Vladimir a friendly smile as he made his way to the bathroom, whistling as he washed his hands…

The curtain suddenly being drawn from the shower.

"Hello, chum." Regent said calmly.

"…you've been waiting for me." Junior murmured, fear gripping his heart, holding in tight with claws as red hot as a poker.

"Oh, yeah. I got lonely. But hey, I had this nice taser gun to keep me company." The Cracked Thing laughed softly before he stuck it into Junior's side, Junior letting out a pained gasp as the electricity wracked through his body…

A moment later, he awoke in a padded room, a few scattered pieces of furniture tossed around as Regent's leering face looked at him from a window in the door…a door that had no handle on Junior's side. "Don't you like it, my fine, furry counterpart? I do. It's a part of Kualili's palace. He's lent it out to me. I can design it however I want it, all with the power of my mind, just like the others did with their little homes. It's my own personal hell…and I made it all for you."

"What do you WANT?" Junior asked.

"I want what you have." Regent said, his sneering face becoming calm. "I want it ALL. And I get what I want, Junior. I want your family, I want your friends, your job, your world. It's so much better over there…you have everything. I don't even have half of what you do. How's that fair?"

"It's not my fault. What you've been through isn't my fault…"

"Oh, but it IS!" Regent snarled. "I AM you, Junior! I'm everything you could never be! Your very BEING created me! Well…" He laughed sadly, turning away from the door. "Now I'm going to be everything you were."

"You CAN'T!" Junior screamed, banging on the padded door with his fists. "YOU **CAN'T!**"

"It's no good, Junior…you really should have known better than to go anywhere alone, especially in a strange house. And now?...now you're never getting out. At least…not alive."

With a haunting laugh, Regent left Junior alone in the room, as the half-Muridean, half Experimental American heard the sound of chanting filling his ears. He let out a strangled sob, getting on his knees, curling up slightly as he buried his face in his arms, the lone chair in the room slowly rocking back and forth, a taunting message in blood dribbling down the nearby walls…

_"You're never…getting…out…"_

…

…

…

…_He was intelligent, Jumba Jookiba was. Brilliant man, brilliant mind. But the more he learned, the more amoral he became. The tragedy with science is that it comes with no ethical strings attached. Magic is not much better._

_Oh, sure. Some things are tied to chaos and order or the elements, yes, but…but they're tools. Just tools. All he was learning was how to use more tools and use them better. Nobody was telling him not to use them on people._

_Alchemy was his way of melding his great loves. And he was good at what he did…taking bits and pieces of other things and making something new and creative from them._

_Yes…he was very good at it._

_…too good._

_Well, dear readers…a different kind of unpleasantness than the one Junior was being forced to endure had arisen in the village of Streamside._

"CLOSE, DAMN YOU!" The Mad Hatter yelled at the window in his room up the stairs as Patty assisted with cooking breakfast, sniffing the eggs. Yep. Same smell as before. Nitroglycerin. Something funky was going on here.

Izzy and Green, under the bald-faced lie that they were "going for a nice morning stroll" as mother and daughter, had been checking around the village…with some nice, fresh, hundred dollar bills in their pockets. They'd been quite eager for one thing and one thing alone: to find out who in the village had a chicken yard by a place that could possibly be producing nitroglycerin…

Lucky them, in exchange for a "donation to a starving artist", R-Dan had been happy to tell them that there was one such place like that in town, and they'd be heading there first thing tonight at midnight, when everyone else was asleep. But first thing's first. Breakfast.

"I like mine with jellybeans, personally. That's why I enjoy omelets." Green sheepishly confessed as she dug into her breakfast with great gusto, getting egg bits everywhere as a sobbing Hatter was finally escorted down from the top floor by a sympathetic R-Heatwave, who was still in her "heathen" costume, and now wearing a kind of very bad perfume.

King, who had made everyone his special green tea mix, was sure this was an attempt to portray Middle-Eastern women as being voluptuous, but all it did was make her look and smell…

Well…

She looked and smelled like a female used car salesman. She SERIOUSLY had to lose some weight. Angel was putting on the pounds a bit too, he noticed as Kualili, stopping in for a cheery visit with Junior, happily talked about "wanting to take photos" for his collection.

…odd. Kualili's face. It looked…pained. Like he was suppressing something.

"Did you accidentally break something? You look like you stepped on your foot the wrong way and twisted it." King asked him as he began pouring everyone green tea in little white cups.

"Oh? No, no." Junior laughed. "He's just got irritable bowel syndrome. Usually he's good at hiding it, but hey, it flares up now and again."

"Yes, er…could I use your bathroom?" Kualili said nervously.

"Up the stairs, to the far right." R-Angel remarked as the white-furred monarch raced out of the room, the sound of a toilet bowl flushing again and again as she sighed sadly. "Land's sakes."

"Truth be told, we used to have that." R-Stitch admitted sheepishly. "So we went to our father, got it cleared right up. Of course, now we'll have to go back to him again, we've been getting kinda fat lately." He added, poking his paunch.

"…I'm not feeling so hungry anymore." Green decided as R-Angel let out a belch.

"You go to Jumba to fix every physical problem you have?" King asked them, looking intrigued.

"Well, he's the best." R-Stitch insisted as the others followed Green outside the house.

"…I'd like to meet him." King decided, putting one arm around Patty before she could make it out the doorway. "Wouldn't you like to meet him, Patty?"

SOME TIME LATER…

Jumba lived luxuriously. Every single room in his nice country estate had been furnished to good taste, and yet the more one looked around, the more one felt that this place was more suited to an old hard-candy-toting grandma than to an "alchemist of amazing ability " as Jumba referred to himself. The polished Sheraton table with carefully arranged papers and periodicals (all about breakthroughs in science), Hepplewhite sideboard holding two gold-plated candlesticks, there was even an Iepergne/I, a very fancy silver centerpiece. The mantelpiece in his hall had an enormous grandfather clock, a set of vases the side of Arnold Schwarzenegger's thighs, and all the windows were shrouded by dark blue velvet, the light shimmering through them, casting the illusion that the place was forever tinted in a realm of blue…

Sitting at a desk, looking at a clock of some kind through glasses that made his eyes bug out, a mechanical construct around him moving pieces together as he flexed thick digits on a thicker hand, The Reversed Jumba Jookiba looked rather much like a giant insect, wrapping up a fly. King nervously smiled as the doctor bid them come over to look at his new pet project.

"See? This is my most common work." He remarked in a perfectly toned Eastern European accent, pointing at the clock in one hand. "Other clocks, thrown away, such a tragedy, but JUMBA!" He remarked proudly, pointing into the sky. "Yes, Jumba makes use of them! Taking bits and pieces, putting together and VOILA! A masterpiece most magnifique!" He crowed, holding the clock up as it ticked away.

"So you take things that are "broken" and combine them to make your "art", eh?" King mused as he looked over the other inventions in the room, the grandfather clock and vases included. Even the books on the bookshelf: they had all been pieced together, bits of books torn out or rescued from fires or other damage, then carefully melded together to form the book they were meant to be. Something was off, though. Something was off all about Jumba, King could just tell…

Wait. A book. A book filled with newspaper articles, hidden inside of an interior decorating tome. King read through them, a pattern emerging…morgues and cemetaries and crematoriums all broken into…busted into via explosive materials and…

…and missing persons reports.

King quickly shut the book and stuffed it back where it was as Jumba went back to his work.

"Tonight, my finest work, though. My COOKING, ha-ha!" Jumba laughed. "Is Halloween party. Will be big feast! You ARE staying for that, right?" He asked them, turning around as King stood by Patty, trying to keep a pleasant smile on his face.

"Wouldn't miss it for anything, sir." Patty insisted.

Elsewhere, one Experimental American with a large penchant for photography had just taken a lovely series of pictures of Junior and Green, Junior proudly nuzzling his wife as she looked deep into his eyes, Kualili paying the photographer handsomely as Izzy fake-gagged at the overly sentimental display. "You're really happy today." She told him.

"…I just…felt like taking care of you." He told her sweetly.

"Well it's really nice." She said, kissing him on the lips as the two strolled out of the photographer's house, heading by a farmhouse…

Specifically, a farmhouse with a large chicken yard…and a very, VERY large barn.

"Well, at last we'll learn the answer." The Hatter remarked, pulling out a magnifying glass from his hat, putting on a deerskin cap like Sherlock Holmes as he wrapped a jacket to match around his body. "Israel von Hamsterviel, if you could lead the way?"

"Why am I Watson? Watson's nothing without Sherlock Holmes." Izzy mumbled.

"Watson was a genius in his own right." Junior said firmly, leading Green off to an apple courtyard some distance away as the Hatter snuck inside the chicken yard, Izzy deciding to distract the owner by enthusiastically knocking on the door, presenting a slip of psychic paper and introducing herself to the stupefied Reversed World counterpart of Chopsuey as a "health inspector", seeking to follow up on a complaint about bad eggs.

Kualili looked at one particularly nice framed poster in a sepia color scheme, smiling as he carried it over his shoulder. It'd look nice on-

Oh no. He could feel it rising up again. He let out a liquidy burp and put the painting down against a bench, rushing for a nearby tree and vomiting behind it, moaning terribly as he rested his body against it. He was getting sicker and sicker lately, but…

But he refused to see Jumba. He did what he needed to do in the name of those he loved. He wouldn't let someone die just to keep himself alive…

"You alright?" Junior asked, walking over with Green, a sympathetic look on his face.

"Y-Yes, I'm…I'll be alright." Kualili mumbled out as he wiped some…stuff…away from his mouth. "You'll…you'll be at the Halloween party tonight, won't you? I might…be a bit late, might need to…take some medicine." He said, suppressing a desire to gasp out in pain as his stomach began to act up anew.

"Oh yes, the Halloween party. We wouldn't miss it for anything, believe me." Junior said with a broad grin.

"OW!" Green yelled out, clutching one side of her head as she bit her lip. "I-I've got the WORST headache…I…I need to lie down." She mumbled, a concerned look flickering over Junior's face as he gently helped her back in the direction of their temporary living quarters, Kualili looking over in the direction of R-Chops's farm…seeing a form being knocked over the head…and dragged, along with another, towards what he knew to be the basement…

Well this wouldn't do at all. No, no, he had more respect for them than to just let them die down there. A quick stride over to the door, a series of knocks…

"…oh. Sir…I…we weren't-"

"I want them. I'll deal with the "meddling kids" myself."

"Of course, sir, of course. We'll take them out through the back way."

…

…

…

… "Where…where are we?" Izzy mumbled out as she finally sat up, looking around a dark, dark room. There was a single bed there, and a couch, with two sets of doors to their right and left that she could make out with her eyes. The Mad Hatter blinked, his pink pupils gazing over at the "Bishop" of Kualili's army…noticing Kualili himself was standing some distance behind her, back turned to them, arms folded against a window that had all the blinds drawn…and he was standing by the only light source, a lamp that was turned off.

"I didn't want you finding out this way, but…"

He turned the light on, but kept them facing his back. There was a photograph, a large sepia one of Junior and Green. He momentarily glanced to the side at it, Izzy and the Mad Hatter noticing something on the side of his face.

"You were investigating something I…couldn't let you investigate." Kualili explained quietly. "The same thing happens again and again…the cops investigate, some private dick investigates, it all comes public and my people have to run. No. No, not this time. This time they deserve some peace."

"Where are we?" The Hatter asked him. "Your palace?"

"A room not too far from where your father is, Israel." Kualili told her. "Regent has put him away, taken his place. I'm…afraid neither of you will be able to tell anyone about this though…because I have no intention of letting you leave. You see, I…"

He hesitated. "…I never wanted to go to Jumba for my own sake…but killing you…and, I'm afraid, your friends…you're the only ones who suspect anything from my race. With your deaths, I can keep my race safe for a little longer, and…and help myself…with THIS."

He turned around. They saw his face. And in that instant, Izzy's normally calm and collected composure broke, and she let out a shriek as the Hatter held his hands over his mouth to suppress a vomit at the sight before him.

"I used to have a very good face, Izzy." Kualili said softly, advancing towards them. "Like my family, I was born with rather nice features…Jumba did quite the nice job on me." He whispered, his voice like a soft breeze in spring as he walked closer and closer. "Merrily liked my face quite a lot, in fact…and now you've seen it too…"

"Y-you're…you're Infected…" Izzy whispered.

"Oh no, no. Our race can't GET infected, see…" Kualili laughed slightly. "This is how we really look…underneath the shell that he saddled us with…hence why I need to get rid of you." He told Izzy as the Hatter flung himself in front of her. "I'll need something for my face, you see. A dash here, a dash there…you won't mind, really. You won't be able to object once I'm finished."

His fist shot out, striking the Hatter into the bed as Izzy tried to reach for one of her many self-defense weapons in her belt, her mace, her retractable stick, her small pistol…

All had been stripped from her as she slept. Still, she ducked as he dived at her, leaping away as more and more of his "face" began to slough off his skull. "Keep away from me!" She screamed.

"I'm going to give you a new face…a face even uglier than mine…"

His claws scraped down the wall, black eye leering up as the rest of his face fell away…

**"The Face of DEATH!"**


	23. Breaking Point

-  
REVERSAL

_"Wait, I'm coming undone,_  
_Unlaced, I'm coming undone,_  
_Too late, I'm coming undone,_  
_What looks so strong, so delicate!_

_Wait, I'm starting to suffocate,_  
_And soon I anticipate,_  
_I'm coming undone,_  
_What looks so strong, so delicate!__" Korn_

23  
BREAKING POINT

"Calm down!"

Junior raised his paws up, yelling as loudly as he could as he stood on the enormous bridge that separated the Galactic Federal Alliance's main hall from the entrance hall where all visitors and workers walked in…and atop said arch-like entrance hall, one unfortunate was now about to jump right off in an attempt at suicide.

"Think about what you're doing!" Junior yelled out.

"I HAVE to go through with this, Grand Councilman!" The man screamed down at Junior, his three eyes brimming with acidic tears as his tentacles held him teeteringly closer and closer to the edge, the crowd unsure of whether to run or to get a raincoat. He was a Blorachian, their bodies secreted acids and toxic substances for their bodily fluids. The minute he hit the ground…it would turn into a chemical warfare battlefield. This went BEYOND "public relations disaster".

But Junior could fix it, he knew he could.

"Kaulda, please, you have a wife, children…" Junior spoke kindly, his eyes gaining a deep, soothing blue hue as he clasped his hands together, his voice becoming calm and collected. Being an Empath was immeasurably useful when it came to diplomacy, when it came to people. All he needed was to really make Kaulda THINK about what he was doing. "I know your pay has gone down."

"There's no other way my family can be fed! I'm working three jobs! THREE JOBS!" The janitor sobbed, whacking his head with one tentacle. "I can't take it anymore! At least if I die my life insurance-"

"I looked UP the policy, Kaulda." Junior called back. It'll void if you commit suicide."

"Nobody in that crowd will care enough to report that I didn't "tragically slip while cleaning from a high altitude"!" Kauda screeched back.

"…I'd care." Junior said gently, putting a paw on his chest. "I'd care because-"

He stopped, his tone becoming quiet, his eyes returning to normal as he held his cheek. "I'm...this isn't right. I am not at home. I am…I'm…"

And with that, he awoke, finding himself trapped in the padded cell, nothing but the old furniture and the taunting writing to keep him company.

"Now I remember." He growled, rushing to the door of his prison. The handle-less door that he'd banged on a dozen times over. But hey, you know what they say about insanity! It's doing the same thing again and again, but expecting a different result. And he WAS in a padded cell.

So it made perfect sense that he began attacking the door all over again. He'd been trying to come up with different acidic compounds and other burning liquids to seep through the door, but the damn thing seemed specifically resistant to every single trick in Junior's cache as "Temperance" of the Major Arcana.

"Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, no, no, no, NO!" Junior roared, tossing another batch of acid at the door as it fizzled into thin air against it. "Nothing's working! God, I…ARGH!" He screamed. "I've gotta get outta-"

A scream. IZZY's scream. He stiffened in horror, eyes widening as he saw his sweet Israel running past the door, with…SOMETHING on her tail, one of the most disgusting, ugly-faced things he'd ever seen in his entire life, which howled like a wild beast as it tore down the hallway…tore down after her.

"NO!" He screamed. "I have to get out, I have to get…"

An idea hit him then. He slowly turned his head, gazing at the things scattered around the room. A couple of chairs, a desk, the bloody writing…

The bloody writing.

That was it. Grinning wildly, he bit into one finger, and with that, his paw digit became bloody. Raising it up as he approached the door, he took the bloodied digit and began drawing with it. It was an answer to this problem that was just **so** crazy, **so** ludicrous, that it just might work. It was just the sort of thing some sick, twisted version of him would think up.

"One half…plus one half…equals one w**hole**." Junior chuckled, finishing the equation as an enormous, gaping hole began to spread across the door, Junior sneaking out through it as he turned his head to the right, seeing the blood pooling out from a doorway some distance away, and smelling the familiar scent of the Hatter. Though he was concerned for his daughter, the amount of blood there…

He had to see. He rushed forward, turning into the doorway, paws flying to his face as he looked upon the Hatter…who was now barely recognizable…and almost totally gone.

"…where is it?" The Hatter managed to whisper out, touching a hand to his...to what had been. "Where is my **face?**...what did he DO to it?"

…

…

…

… "Just a few more days." Patty insisted to R-Heatwave as the party got into full swing, everyone now fully dressed up. "You ever have any kids of your own?"

"Nah, I'm really not good with 'em, unfortunately. Everyone says I'd be a really scary mom."

"…can't imagine why!"

The charming country couple of Reverse Stitch and Angel had decided to wear more formal attire, whilst others had decided to add a cheery Halloween vibe to their clothes. They now wore fake heads over their own, some dressed as wolfmen, others as zombies, others still as-

"I KNOW that the correct term is "Frankenstein's Monster", but the monster's Frankenstein's son, really, and the name's plenty transferable, don'tcha think?" R-Jumby remarked as he sipped some wine, Patty refusing because she had the baby to think of. King, however, kept looking over in R-Chopsuey and R-Carmen's direction. They REEKED of the Hatter and Izzy, he could smell it from there.

…well, that and nitroglycerin, which made them all the more suspicious.

"It's just such a shame that Manifest called Junior and Green away on business in Manhattan before they could enjoy themselves here." R-Angel admitted as she patted Patty on the shoulder, King "ya-huh-ing" in a noncommittal agreement.

"Aw, c'mon, PLEAAAASE? Say it again!" One young little troggy asked of an all-too familiar black-cloaked, white-masked being as he folded his arms, groaning deeply. Ember chuckled, patting him on the back as the White Rabbit passed him by, a serving tray held high with little sandwiches.

"C'mon, you do the voice perfectly, and you're already so well-dressed for the part." She insisted.

"I am not doing it."

"Come on."

"…alright." B sighed, groaning deeply. "**I banish you to the Black Hooole!**" He intoned in a deep, low, throaty croak of a voice, waving his arms spookily in front of him as the little ones all giggled happily, Ember nodding in approval.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" She asked. "Now…want a ham and cheese on rye?" She inquired. "Better eat them before Jumba gets to 'em. He clears the plate whenever I walk by!"

"Cannot be helping, am cheese-a-holic." Jumba insisted as he strolled by, scraping all the sandwiches off her serving platter and putting them into his arms, taking big bites as he walked off, getting crumbs and mayo all over his face.

"You fat PIG!" Ember yelled angrily at him, shaking her fist as she headed for the kitchen to get some more sandwiches, B moving over to the punch bowl for some Swamp Water Punch, though the smell of the "Rotting Corpse Brownies" made him decide he'd rather walk down the street to the local brewery instead.

"OW!" R-Heatwave yelled as Ember, still glaring over in Jumba's direction, knocked right into her, the tray slamming into her face. She held her paws over her nose as everyone glanced in her direction, Ember apologetically lifting her up from the floor. "I dik I dee uh band uh."

"A band aid? Okay, okay, lemme get you to the bathroom." Ember offered, lifting the whining Experimental-American up into her arms, carrying her up the stairs as King and Patty glanced down at the floor.

Heatwave's nose had fallen completely off. Patty drew in a harsh breath as King, swift as his species could be, snatched it up and pocketed the nose.

"Patty, my dear, I'm simply AMAZED by the lovely beings we see here." He said loudly, turning as Jumba looked up from eating his last sandwich, the crumbs falling to the floor below. "I simply MUST know more about them. There's a test I'd like to perform on…on THIS scrap of hair." He said, picking up a red strand of hair from the floor. "I believe it's Heatwave's fur, and it's such an unusual texture."

"You want to see if they're like your friends back home, is that it?" Patty asked, looking a bit confused as Jumba rubbed his eyes slightly before a decidedly malicious glint flickered in them.

"Oh yes." He said, patting her on her hand…slipping the nose into her pocket, unseen, though she could definitely feel it. He pocketed the hair and took out a small notepad, scribbling down some things onto it as he led Patty towards the exit. "Let us head to my room, I can conduct the study in private there. I must complete it within the next ten hours."

"Before you do doctor, perhaps you'd like to come with us on our Halloween Haunted Hay-Ride?" Jumba asked cheerily as R-Stitch and R-Angel all eagerly nodded. "Would be quite a lot of fun."

"Oh yes, we'd LOVE to have you." R-Heatwave insisted.

"Ohhh no. You are staying here. Watching over creeps in basement who will not stop chanting." Jumba snapped, pointing at the basement door, where the Fallen and several dozen Experiments were now sitting, all chanting prayers to "The World".

"How about I stay with you and play bridge? You CAN play bridge, right?" Patricia offered as King watched the experiments quickly file outside, heading for the farm so they could begin the Haunted Hay-Ride, slipping the notes he'd just written into Patricia's pocket before walking up to Jumba and clapping him on the back.

"Shall we?" He offered. "But I really must get back here-"

"I know. You must get back here within the next ten hours." Jumba said with a broad grin.

…

…

…

… "Let me go." Izzy demanded.

"I knew you'd try to help the Hatter. Get me to chase after you. But believe me, with his wounds…he's beyond help."

"Y-You let me go right now."

"The halls were dark, Izzy." The Carnal spoke calmly, his large claws situated at the butt of a long and very special spear's shaft, his voice almost wistful. "But this room is bright. Bright with so many fond, fond memories." He added, waving a hand in the air, his many reflections within the room repeating the gesture.

"Let-let me OUT!" Izzy shrieked.

"Don't you like it, my "Bishop"? I like it. This is my private palatial place. My safe place." The Carnal beast went on, closing its singular eye, letting out a deep, happy sigh. "I had these beautiful crystals put all over. Such fine, reflective surfaces. So shiny, so bright. I had them put everywhere so I could see myself no matter where I turned…"

The eye, foul and decaying, shot open, its slit pupil gazing intently at her. "Just like YOU can see me now!"

"I can't stand it!" She screamed, rushing for the nearest door. "I can't-"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" The Carnal laughed as she pulled it open. "It's only a closet, Izzy! But there's a BEAUTIFUL mirror in there, and my **face!**" Izzy ran for another door, panting and heaving. "Yes, go ahead, pull the door aside!"

THWUMP.

"GAAAUUUHD!"

"HA-HA-HA-HAAAAA! Ohh, it's only a bathroom, Izzy. But the walls are all made of crystalline mirrors, mirrors, mirrors EVERYWHERE, and my face!" The Carnal laughed coldly, rising to full size as he held his sides, his weapon "clunking" as it fell to the floor.

"You're insane!" Izzy screamed, pointing a finger at him. "You need HELP!"

"I?!" Kualili whispered, his face momentarily returning to normal. "Oh no, Israel von Hamsterviel. Oh no. I'm afraid it's you that need help." He told her, advancing slowly, raising the enormous weapon up, it's huge, bladed hilt gleaming in the light of the room. "But you don't need to worry…you won't have to look at me any longer. Once I bring my latest "acquisions" to my father, I'll be back to my normal self. I've put it off far, far too long."

Izzy's hand reached for the golden earring she had on her left, mouse-like ear…

"See, once I'm finished, you won't care about my face. Face, you won't care about anything. Don't take it personally, but I couldn't let you or the Hatter tell anyone about my people, not after I've finally found a place where we can stay for good. And this way, I'll be able to-"

She quickly pressed a tiny button on the earring and one half slid off, a small dart jabbing into the beast's body, digging into patchwork flesh as it looked down with its stitched-open eye, surprised…

THWUMP. It fell into unconsciousness as Izzy wiped her forehead. Now…how had he gotten her inside? He's knocked her out in the hallway, there had to be some doorway that-

The ceiling. There was an enormous dome window above…one that an athletic thing like him could reach easily from outside. The question was, could an intellectual athlete like her reach it from the **inside**?

She began climbing atop the desk, panting slightly as she extended her claws, digging into the wall, climbing higher…higher. Soon she had reached the top of the window and was reaching out, opening up the latch.

Something whizzed through the air, and in that instant the window shattered into pieces, Izzy falling down with them into Kualili's open arms, unconsciousness claiming her, his face burning into her mind…

…

…

…

… "A natural wonder of foliage." King admitted as he sat in the hay next to the rotund vaguely Russian alien, nodding as he glanced around the beautiful plethora of trees and the dozens of bright leaves that shone in the Harvest Moon's faint light. "This is all very beautiful."

"OOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA!" An experiment with a giant mask groaned out, hanging from a wire that dangled down from a tree, waving his hands in the air.

"…riiiiight." King remarked, turning back to the reversed Jumba, who was trying to tug R-Stitch off his head. "Uh, ma'am, don't you already know what's going to happen on this ride?"

"I'm easily spooked, okay?!" He shrieked.

"We appear to be quite far away from town." King admitted quietly as Angel brought the horses to a halt in front of an enormous natural rock structure shaped exactly like a skull. "Impressive!"

"Indeed. You see, Kualili found this place a few years back. He found out that highway robbers had hidden a cache of wealth right here! Gold, silks, jewels, and, of course…"

"BRANDY!" R-Angel remarked, pulling out a large bottle from the left "eye" socket, waving it in the air. "Would you care for some?" She asked him, the serpentine magus nervously blushing. "It IS our custom to offer it to our guests complete hospitality!"

"I do have quite the love for fine wines and the like." He admitted to them all, as R-Angel handed him the bottle and he looked it over, taking a large swig as he rested against the skull.

…that brandy had tasted funny…

He felt so…so tired…so…

THWUMP. He hit the ground, groaning deeply as Jumba frowned. "Is not comatose? Just tummy ache and tired?! Dammit. Must have built up immunity to Silver Serpent venom."

"Were you trying to be ironic?" R-Angel asked. "Next time, just knife him."

"You don't get it. There has to be **drama.**" Jumba snapped. "I'M evil genius. Besides, is friends with Manifest. We can excuse some deaths. His wife will suffer tragic accident. The girl and the thief dying tragically on the battlefield. But any more than that, white-haired pretty boy is getting suspicious, same way Sari was."

There was a loud, scraping noise, something big and heavy being dragged along the road, and they all turned their heads, looking in the direction of an all-too-familiar being that had put one also-familiar being on his shoulder.

"I have need of you, father." Kualili said calmly, depositing Izzy on the ground as carefully as possible. "I've made the first incisions, but this is something to be done by your capable hands. And quickly. I've got a meeting with Josef, he'll be going with me to take care of some private matters."

"Hurts…" Izzy murmured out.

"Why Izzy…I'm your boss. Don't be so afraid." Kualili chuckled softly, in that vaguely wistful, sweet voice.

"D-Don't want you near me…"

"But my daddy wants to HELP you." He crooned, kneeling by her, his leering face gazing intently into hers, the tears slowly trickling down her cheek.

"D-don't want your h-help…d-didn't help b-b-before…"

"I'm going to NOW, sweetie. You have a very bad head injury…"

"Y-You GAVE it to me!"

"It will have to come off!" Kualili softly laughed, Jumba lifting her up, taking a small surgical knife from his pocket. "**At ONCE!**"

Meanwhile, Patricia was sitting with R-Heatwave in the kitchen as Ember got to work on CLEANING the place, the sound of annoying arguing echoing up from the basement catching her attention as she headed down the stairs.

"What's that in your pocket?" The costumed Christian inquired, raising an imaginary eyebrow as Patty looked at King's notebook, R-Heatwave carving up a tomato so she could fry it in a saucepan.

"Something my dear wrote to m-oh. Oh my." She murmured. "Must perform test immediately, if substance has qualities such as…this…this is indicative of…" Her eyes bugged open as she stood up straight, pushing her chair away. "Great SCOTT, I've got to get back to our room and perform this test?"

"Oh? A note from the snakey magician telling you to perform some kind of test? And now you have to…no, no, I don't think I can let you go." R-Heatwave said quietly, frowning at her.

"Oh really? Don't know how you're gonna stop me." Patty said haughtily.

"Do you see this knife?"

"Do you see my fists?"

"I'm WARNIN' you, "paddy"!"

THRUNKA-THOOMP! A harsh, digging punch squarely on Heatwave's already broken nose stunned her, and a swift uppercut underneath her chin knocked her out a moment later as Patty blew fake dust off of her fist.

"Sorry, but when my dearie begs me to do something, I get it **done!**" She snapped, quickly exiting out the back way…just as Junior, the TRUE Junior, climbed the steps of the basement with Ember by his side.

"I tried to help him but…but by the time I got out his face, he…and then…oh, where did he take my wife to?" Junior whispered, covering his face with his paws. "And-and Izzy, I…oh, I'm always too late…"

"I'm not sure wh-hey…where'd Patty go? Why's ol Heatwave unconscious?" Ember inquired.

…

…

…

… "Jumba…might I…might I…might I tell you…tell you a story?" King asked quietly, walking alongside him as Jumba pushed the next sandwich into his mouth and began chewing.

"What of?"

"See…I've been…doing some research." King informed him, golden/yellow eyes glittering. There's a bit of a true crime story I'd like you to hear."

"Ooh, am loving stories!" Jumba said, laughing uproariously and clapping him on the back, almost flooring the serpent anthro on the spot as they headed back inside the house where they'd just come from, King panting heavily, wiping sweat from his brow. "How does it go?"

"Well, it all goes back over a hundred years. It's the tale of a bunch of crooked thieves out to steal something that nobody ever would have thought of taking…bodies. Alive…or not." King spoke softly.

"Oh, really?" Jumba asked, R-Stitch and R-Angel walking some distance behind, a dark grin on their now-terrifying features as his cousins walked along with them.

"Really. These fiends were clever. They developed nitroglycerin and other tools at farms they set up in countryside towns outside of big cities in countries all over the world. They used the tools to break into morgues and cemeteries and hospitals. One…one day, some of their nitroglycerin got into the drinking water of chickens at a chicken yard at one of their farms. This made them realize that someone could figure out the truth if they ever went down to said farm to investigate."

"That is verrrry interesting."

"It had happened before. Their creator, an alchemist of some great renown, had posed as a…as a legitimate scientist, doing research out in the country." King mumbled, coughing madly for a little while before continuing. "A-and when nitroglycerin was found in eggs that came from his creation's farms, people got suspicious. T-Then they started disappearing, and when that happened, they were all forced out of the countries."

"Well." Jumba chuckled. "Quite the tale indeed, Mister King. Am most intrigued."

"They even threw parties at their farms to lure unsuspecting victims to their deaths…so their creator could use the poor, unfortunate souls. Use them same way a caterpillar uses a cocoon…to become a butterfly." King slowly turned his head, taking deep, long, breaths. "Your…your creations are your butterflies, are they not? You must be so proud…you **murderer.**" King whispered, his pupils becoming slit.

"Most of them already dead, nothing Jumba can do. Besides…" Jumba shrugged.

"Izzy and The Hatter are gone." Junior growled as he emerged from the building, Patty holding up a notepad with scientific scribbles upon it, a pale, furious look on her face. "My daughter, you…you knew they were poking around. You knew they'd figure things out, get in the way."

"She tried to get in way, has PAID for her mistake like he has!"

"You DISGUST me." Junior hissed.

"Annoying girl was too dangerous. And then there was The Hatter…a thief, a con man! You should consider yourself lucky…" Jumba leered darkly at them. "Am only needing ONE more body for my next creation. One more…and a little EXTRA." He added, his gaze sweeping down onto Patricia's belly as she clung tightly to King.

"You'd sink so low?" King snarled.

"I'm sorry about her, but there ARE other fish in the sea for a fine man like-"

"All you care about is adding another person to your list. Nothing else matters, is that it?"

"Well, people like us-"

"THAT'S THE POINT." Junior growled. "People! That's what you failed to remember! That's what you don't get! You sacrificed DOZENS just to make ONE of your own "children"! The lives of ANY person are just as important as yours, as **theirs**!"

"Y-you're positively RIDICULOUS!" Jumba laughed. "You're absolutely wrong."

"No. No it's YOU who's absolutely wrong. You're a man of great intelligence and skill. But you took a step outside the line. You sacrificed lives and thought nothing of it."

"The safety and well-being and happiness of an entire race depends on me!" Jumba snarled.

**"DON'T you pull that crap on me!"** Junior yelled. "My concern's not for them. My concern's for people. Good people. Good people who have the **right** to not have their lives taken from them!"

"And what do you think you're going to do?" R-Stitch coldly laughed. "Look around you." He asked as his cousins began to chuckle in a low pitch, slowly rising as the blue-furred being's grin grew. "You're clearly outnumbered! CLEARLY outclassed! You haven't a prayer! And by the time we're finished with you-"

"No." Junior whispered as Ember, King and Patty stepped back, Junior clenching his ringed fist tightly, his eyes glowing with a deep, purplish/blue light. "It is I…who am finished…with you." He murmured.

And in that instant he shot forward. Every trace of pacifism, every ounce of gentleness and decency that he'd had was gone. He was a white blur moving with swiftness and fury, his fist striking against face, his ring becoming splattered as Stitch's smile was forcibly wiped from his face, becoming a horrified scream as Junior promptly grabbed his throat, a snap of his paw digits as a golden goblet popped up…

And Stitch was forced to drink the contents moments later. With a howling scream, the Reversed Stitch began to scream and bawl, grabbing at his throat as he began to literally come undone. Patty looked away, Ember gently holding her to her chest and closing her eyes as King folded his arms, watching with cold and firm eyes as Jumba looked on in horror at what was peeling off his creation's body, layer by layer…

Or rather, WHO was peeling off his creation's body.

"No. No, it…it can't be possible…"

"You didn't honestly think there wouldn't be a cure for a necromantic spell like you used? Pathetic man…" Junior whispered coldly, his goblet splashing through the air as the drink began to soak into the flesh of others as he swiped and swiped through the air again and again. "Pathetic fool…weaving a quilt of the dead to clothe your babies, hoping they'd grow strong. I want you to watch, Jumba."

"Th-this is murder." Jumba whimpered out.

"No. This isn't murder." Junior spoke calmly, holding his goblet up as it refilled itself and he launched himself through the air. "CALL!"

TWHOOM!

"IT!"

THWOOM!"

"MEDICINE!"

THWOOM!

"IF!"

THWOOM!

"YOU!"

THWOOM!

"LIKE!"

And with that and a final cry, the last of them were utterly covered, all of them falling in spasms to the floor as what HAD been creatures of strange and odd design slowly rose up, peeling themselves from the cold ground, warm once more…human hands turning around, human eyes gazing upon Jumba and walking towards him.

"Jookiba." One of them groaned out with a mouth that had not belonged to him for 93 years.

"Jookibaaaa…" A small child whispered, finally gaining his legs back after 53 years, his childhood stripped from him the moment he'd been bonded to the thing that had taken his life.

"JOOKIBA."

"JOOKIBA!"

"**JOOKIBA!**"

A horde of those who'd had their lives taken from them, and the object of their fury only a few feet away, and utterly helpless. Jumba Jookiba was bawling like a baby, moments away from a horrifying and bitterly fitting end that he'd seen all too much in mad science fiction novels. "Y-you have to help me. You can't let them kill me!" Jumba screamed in terror, getting down to his knees in front of Junior as he clung to his enormous feet. "Please! I don't deserve this!"

Junior glared down at him. "Oh, you'll get it." He murmured. "You're going to get what you deserve. But I want you to tell me something." The Muridean/Experimental American demanded, yanking Jumba up, his muzzle up against the four-eyed alien's as he whispered furiously.

"**WHERE…IS…KUALILI!?**"

…

…

…

…Izzy was too far gone. But too far gone in a worse way than even the Hatter had been.

Ironically, she lay in a position of sweet repose in the beautiful crystalline room where Kualili had brought her, a towel wrapped around her forehead, eyes closed, hands laid over her chest. One almost would have thought her sleeping until one saw the blood slowly dribbling down from within the towel.

Judah had been the one to cut the room open, his sword digging through wall until he'd found her. Judah ahd been the first to smell and then see the body. Judah had been the one to call his father here.

And now it was Judah that stood with Junior, everyone looking from him, to Junior to Izzy's silent, still form. Junior gripped his daughter's hands tightly, his eyes wide open, body quivering as the tears freely came, weeping and weeping, mouth slowly opening and closing but unable to say a word.

"I…I didn't know Kualili was…I thought…" Judah began to say. "…Dad, it…it wasn't my fault, I was out on the battlefield…"

"Dad, please, please just say it wasn't my fault. That's all. PLEASE."

"…I can't." Junior croaked out. "…I just can't." He murmured. "I…I…" He shook his head back and forth. "I just can't. I NEVER wanted you working for him. Didn't Izzy try to tell you to stop being out there, on the forefront?"

"Yeah, but…I just thought"

"You WEREN'T thinking!" Junior yelled, screaming in Judah's face. "You're remind me too much of that...that FOOL you watch on TV! Or that foolish "boy who would be king"! Or that idiotic ROGUE! There's good and bad in everything, Judah! But there was always something in you that made you pick the bad! It's just like with THEM! They've lived under the SAME rules as us! Same rules as my father, same rules as Nightwing, same rules as 627, but those three! Those three were the ONLY ones who kept breaking those rules, setting a poor example! And your HERO'S not excluded!"

"DON'T you talk about him like-"

"Now you listen, I love Kitsune! I LOVE Damien! I LOVE Rogue! They are **dear** to me, they are **family** and I LOVE them...but I'll be **DAMNED**...if I let you be just LIKE them!"

""Oh-oh YEAH?!" Judah screamed back, shoving his father in the chest. "W-Well…well I've got one last comfort, old man!" He yelled, the tears coming to HIS eyes. "You've got NOTHING now. You haven't got her…and now you ain't got ME! That's COLD fucking comfort, but comfort for me none the less!"

"BOTH of you, stop it!" Ember screamed, the two stiffening and turning to her. "…please. Just…please can we just take her somewhere else, I…I wanna get her home. Please."

"…he killed her." Junior sobbed, covering his face as Judah's head hit the wall, his eyes wide open and bloodshot, not willing to move. "He killed my baby girl…he killed my baby girl…"

"Where the hell is he?!" Judah finally whispered out. "…WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!"

…

…

…

…where indeed.

Josef walked alongside Kualili as they made their way across the fairgrounds and towards a riverbed where an enormous crystalline cross had been erected by the White Queen, Merrily, oh-so-long ago. As the moon hung overhead in a night seemingly without end, Kualili gazed up at the stars, blinking slowly, clutching the white roses tightly in one hand. He'd dressed up in his most regal armor for the occasion, with Josef actually shampooing his hair for a change. Heck, he'd even worn an old tuxedo and a flower in his lapel.

"We were sure that this where Vladdy's body would have washed up. Should have washed up." Kualili told him as he kneeled down by the cross and put down his flowers, sitting on his knees as Josef patting his shoulder. "…you remind me of him, you know? You have his eyes. His kind eyes." He murmured. "…been ten years since he died. I had hoped Melanie would be here…truth be told, I would have liked even Coraline to be here, I wanted his family to…"

He trailed off as he bowed his head, Josef nodding in understanding. "You were family to him, it's good enough."

"I'd like to think he thought of me as such." Kualili admitted as he turned to look up at him. "He found me all those years ago, gave me a home, brought me to Merrily, wrote to me…" He sighed as he stood up, putting an arm around Josef. "I've missed him terribly all these years, and now with Merrily gone, I keep wondering about what could have been if only-"

"I keep wondering too." A bile-filled voice growled out from far behind, Kualili and Josef turning around to see Junior standing there, fists clenched…murder in his eyes. "I keep wondering what drives someone to **do what you did to my DAUGHTER!**"


	24. Vine of my Memory

-  
REVERSAL

_"Death is powerless against you if you leave a legacy of good behind. Death is powerless against you if you do your job." Bruce Wayne, Batman  
_

24  
VINE OF MY MEMORY

It's funny the things one thinks about when one allows the mind to wander. And what comes to the new White King, Kualili's mind…is the sensation of warmth. That familiar, happy blanket of comfort that fell over him when he was first tucked into bed.

He'd been living for six months in Vladimir's house, living in secret in his room. Every night Vladimir would tuck him in, crawling into bed with him as the two nuzzled each other tightly. One arm draping tenderly over his beloved's shoulder, dreaming of peaceful days to come, and more nights spent close to his friend…

Kualili had been so, so happy. He probably could have lived the rest of his life like that, living with "Lil' Vladdy" who was always happy to take care of "Coochy-Coochy-Kualili". Silly pet names and all.

"Just HAD to climb the tree, didn't you, Coochy-Coo?"

"I couldn't HELP it, it was so tall, Vladdy. I mean, it was practically DARING me."

"**_Sad was the day for the little bisque doll, when they cut all her stitches away…_**" Vladimir sang out as he stitched up an open gash on Kualili's leg. He'd already swabbed it down and the wound was disinfected properly, now he simply had to stitch it up, a usual occurrence since Kualili liked to get rough. "**_And found the seat of the terrible ache..._**"

"EECH! Watch it!" Kualili winced. "A bit slower, please."

"**_IIIII've goooooot aaaaaa paaaaaiiiiin iiiinnnn…_**" Vladimir drawled out, moving the needle more slowly as Kualili fought to keep from laughing at how ridiculous it all was.

Yeah. Life was pretty good for him.

In fact…life was very good…

But his life didn't stay like that. Instead he'd been brought to Merrily on one fine day, and had found a new home, though he'd always carried Vladimir dearly close to his heart. Even now, years after his demise, Kualili never forgot Vladdy. Never forgot his kindly face, and the tenderness with which Vladdy had cared for him.

And it was not Jumba, his creator, that he thought of right now as he was violently punched towards the river, sharp KRUCHA-CRACKS echoing through the air with each strike. It was not his daddy. It was not his race that he thought of, nor of the terrible death by drowning that just might await him in a few moments. All he kept thinking about was how much Vladdy had always smelled like the wisteria that climbed up the walls outside his room…that wonderful wisteria.

Kualili lost his footing and slipped into the river as it swept him away, gasping and panting heavily as he struggled to stay afloat, Junior cursing furiously as he kicked the ground with his large feet. "DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT!"

"What the heck…Junior, didn't you and Green just leave for Manhattan with Sari?" Josef inquired, looking him over as he turned to look downt he river at Kualili's rapidly-disappearing form. "And what did you do THAT for, Junior? I mean, GEEZ, you practically broke his face-"

"**He. Killed. Izzy.**" Junior panted out, Josef's blood turning to ice water in his veins as he stiffened. "He killed her. He KILLED her."

"H-he wh…he…" Josef stuttered. "…Junior, you…do you mean that?"

"He KILLED MY LITTLE GIRL, JOSEF!" Junior screamed at him, his eyes alit with a new kind of light. He was no longer himself. There was a both a horrifying cruelty and a sickening deadness in his eyes…deadlights…they were deadlights.

And Josef realized he couldn't look away from them.

"Junior, please." He began to say.

"I WANT him, Josef. I want…to HURT him. I want to **ruin** him."

"It won't bring…it ain't gonna bring her back." Josef tried to say.

Tried to say. Oh, he is trying. But no matter how hard he tries to think of all the usual arguments, he knows nothing is going to work. In those deadlights, he sees the sickening truth, like a bad result from the doctor, the last hope you had burned away like a scrap of fireplace cinder. The loss of all hope has ruined him, purely and utterly. His mind has snapped like a twig. And he intends to make Kualili snap. Snap in half.

Nothing he says is going to help.

Nothing.

Yet still he tries. The only argument he can think of that hasn't deserted him like most of his courage.

"This isn't very Junior-like behavior, man." Josef managed to wheeze out.

"…I don't feel much like Junior right now." Junior chuckled coldly. "I feel more like my dad on a really…really…bad day. I want a cloak. A clasp. And a fuckin' **big** scythe."

…

…

…

…_Mea Culpa._

_Mom died when I was pretty young, you know. I was left alone. And with nuns. A lot of them. They had a lot of interesting things to teach us._

_The boys would get quite the slide show. I always listened outside the door. The priests would all talk about how the boy's "negative desires" would be around people like "this woman". They'd go on to say how "Perhaps her name is Wendy, or Sally, or Becky Lou", but none of that mattered, cuz her TRUE name was "Disease"._

_And they told us girls that they were all very, very bad boys and WE were all very, very bad girls._

_"Very". God, I never, EVER wanna hear that freakin' word ever again. Nor see the words "Mea Culpa". We'd have to bow our heads, pound our chests and screech out "Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa"._

_What? What's that? You wanna know what it means? It's not "I'm sorry". It really means more along the lines of "I am guilty. I am VERY guilty"._

_Like I said. I hate that fuckin' word. VERY. We're all born into "Original Sin". That means we're all born VERY sinful, the priest said. And baptism would get us into God's graces, thank you VERY much. Baptism was a laxative of the soul. Remove that blockage of sin!_

_We'd have to confess regularly. The priests had a way of making any tiny insubordination look like a cardinal sin. We always had to answer to them how much we were guilty._

_I made a few life-changing decisions when I was old enough to leave. One: that I didn't like the Catholic Church ver-er…I mean…THAT…much. Two: that the only person who's opinion USUALLY mattered…was my own. I was a pretty damn good judge of myself. And I needed to straighten up and hold my head high, cuz I had dreams, and I couldn't damn well be the first female American president if I had "Mea Culpa" bouncing about in my brain cavity!_

_It wasn't long after organizing my first political campaign as superintendent of the local school board that I learned my next big life lesson: you needed help. I had a damn good platform. A simple one. "Fire the principal and the vice principal". To everyone under 18, they were "hey you" to the two jackasses. To me, they were my constituency._

_And considering I looked like Avril Lavigne with shorter hair and big garbanzos, it was not hard to see why "hey you" voted my way, the adult vote being split by other candidates whilst I carried the "young hormone-addled teen" vote to victory. Then, from there, mayor, due to my shrewd handling of the schools…_

_And then I met Evanescence. Like I said…I'd learned that you always need some help in life. She helped me look just the way I wanted to. To my young constituents, I was still a punkish knockout. But to the older generation, I was an experienced, intelligent-looking and thoughtful young woman._

_I was_

_PERFECT._

_Course, it helped that I had my own little gift to grease the wheels. And it's that gift that brings me here, to investigate a little something in Manhattan. I've seen Green and Junior off, they're going to an opera tonight. Me? I'm going to be breaking into the nearby hospital where the Obscured…and Heartwing…were last seen._

_What's that? How do I know?_

_I know so many things. And I was determined to fix this._

_…I KNOW I can fix this…_

_Unfortunately, I keep forgetting about those damn guards at the back entrance!_

_…ahh, well. Mea maxima culpa._

It hadn't been on purpose that she'd tripped the alarm that was inside of the director's room. But now Sari found herself REAAAALLY wishing she hadn't gotten rid of the Secret Service agency in the name of spending some more money on Education in America. Panting heavily, she raced down the hallway, trying the nearby door to her right, angrily tugging on the door knob.

"Aw, come FREAKIN' on!" She snapped, kicking the mahogany door before tearing off down the pale, light blue halls of the hospital, the guards racing after her, their keys jingling as they tore down the hallway to catch her. It wasn't long before disaster struck, though. Turning the hallway, she found her attempt at escaping completely blown as her foot stepped squarely into a janitor's bucket, the janitor blinking in surprise as she went wheeling down the hallway on the slippery bucket, slamming into the fire exit door at the end.

"Ohhhhh." Sari moaned, rubbing her head as the guards looked down at her, one eyebrow raised on the head guard, who's mustache quivered with amusement. "God must hate my guts." Sari told the guards. "Maybe I shoulda pounded my chest more in Catholic School."

"Smooth move, Colonel Klutz." The guy chuckled.

"My memory's so bad these days, I keep forgetting. Maybe I need gingko tablets…" Sari thought out loud, scratching her head as she sighed "The bucket and the door are locked. ALWAYS locked. I never remember that enough…" She murmured, closing her eyes. "Let's try this one more time."

With that…the eyes flashed quickly open.

In an instant, Sari was back at the director's room, cutting through the hidden vault without tripping the alarm, and Evanescence was clapping, her prescence glittering brightly in the back of Sari's mind. "You GO, girl! I think you actually went through all that faster than usual, Sari!"

"It's my job." The "Princess" said with a grin, removing the files and looking through the patient histories. "It's what I do."

Frowning as she gazed down at the information, she nodded. 'Just what I thought. Why, pray tell, should a patient history for someone who was admitted in 1994…be produced in 2010? Look. I can see the faint outline of the printing script right here. What a sloppy forging job."

"They're ALL like that?"

"Every single one of them. And if my hunch is right, then…we need to get to City Hall. To the historical records." Sari said firmly, slamming the file shut. "And we need to get there sooner, rather than later. I think Jolly Green's life is depending on it."

Sari slunk out of the hospital…unaware of the cold eyes that were watching from a hole that had begun to slowly open over her head, a horrifying, foul, low laugh oozing out from within.

…

…

…

…Kualili had never felt more like a hunted animal in all of his life.

When people were mad, furious, they got a little bit out of their minds if they weren't used to it like he was. He could focus his rage. But evidently…so could Junior. And now Junior was after him.

He'd pulled himself free from the river, having floated downstream to, ironically of all places, the town close to the gypsy encampment where Josef's people called home. It was getting late, the sky quickly darkening above his white-furred and silver-haired head. There were few people on the streets, but even so, Kualili did not linger, starting towards the nearest alley to try and hide. The street lights were out along the alleys, one or two shot to smithereens by some stupid kids with BB guns playing soldier.

Playing soldier when there was a real war going on. Funny, in a twisted kind of way. They'd soon be swapping their switch blade and old zip gun for a bayonet and UM-1.

All the light he could find came from the moonbeams that were shining coldly down onto his fur as he glanced into the alley. Something seemed…off. There was no garbage whatsoever, not even a stray cat or dog scrounging around inside. And worse still, the alley was being partially covered by a massive oak just outside, a leftover from years ago when the town of Dodgson was a garden city. The massive oak covered the alley like a natural canopy, casting the already dark alley into deeper shadow as Kualili nervously crept like a cat, glancing about, sniffing the air, wondering how Junior would try to strike at-

From the shadows, it came. And it struck deep at where his eye was. The scythe embedded itself in his eye as Kualili shrieked and howled, the searing-hot, pure-white agony ripping through him as Junior forcibly yanked the scythe out, stepping free of the shadows. There he stood, dark cape flowing behind him in the faint wind as Junior gripped his scythe tightly in his paw.

"Funny thing about liquids. They can include colognes. It was hard to find a scent that was just like yours, but my nose is used to this kind of work." The Muridean/Experimental American remarked coldly, spinning the scythe around in one paw. "Now…"

He gripped the scythe in both paws, Kualili whimpering pitiably as he felt the blood dribble slowly down between his large, black claws. He had never felt so _small_, and now…now he was going to die, alone, in this alley.

No. No, Junior was manipulating him…

"Y-you're making me afraid…"

"No. This time, the fear's all from you." Junior growled. "I don't need to MAKE you fear me. I don't need to make you do anything…except BLEED."

He raised the scythe again and brought it down hard, cutting into Kualili's back, again and again. Junior wanted this…this THING to die slowly. He wanted to feel the blood against his fur. He wanted to make the monster that had murdered his beautiful baby girl to die slowly, and he didn't want to waste any time.

Josef stood in the end of the alleyway, looking on with a solemn, sad expression on his face as Junior dug the scythe into Kualili's back again and again. He wanted to speak up. He wanted to say something. Yet the wet, meaty THRULK sound of metal embedding into a new spot on furry back over and over again kept repeating like the ticking of a foul clock as Kualili began to wail and scream.

"PLEASE!" He sobbed, all trace of ferocity gone, replacing with pathetic whimpering and mewling. "I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to kill her!"

But Junior was beyond words, now. It would be wrong to say he hadn't thought about what he was doing, oh no. This was all he COULD think of. And he had no intention of stopping. Not for anyone. Or anything.

Nothing was going to bring Izzy back. And nothing was going to make this right. No. No, killing this Carnal thing wouldn't bring her back.

But it would make him feel a whole lot better.

…

…

…

… Evanescence curled her spiritual form around Sari, a pinkish orb that flittered about like a fairy sprite, the pink-haired human holding up her flashlight as she flashed it upon the back of the door to City Hall. Night had fallen over the city, the moon casting cold light upon her fair skin as she pushed the door open. Why was there nobody out and about?

And why was she so certain she could hear faint cries coming from-

She could. She definitely could. Kicking the door down, Sari raced inside with Evanescence hovering over her shoulder, the two gasping at the sight before them. There in the middle of what SHOULD have been an office complex was instead a long, dark room lined with strange runes that pulsed with unholy purplish light. A form, wrapped in tight bandages, was being suspended in midair, the bandages digging into him, WRINGING him as…as something dripped down into a pool below.

His tears. Silvery tears were slowly leaking down from pleading eyes, skin red and cracked, eyes looking so very, very sorrowful. Sari had never seen anything in such a pitiable state. The bandages kept him suspended above the pool, their tethers digging deep into the roof and the floor as Heartwing managed to let out a screech, a faint afterimage of his true self momentarily visible, and gazing right at her.

"I'll have you down from th-" Sari began to say, suddenly jumping away as a clawed hand dug down into the ground to grab her, missing her completely…

But the next one didn't. She was yanked up into the air, claws tightly digging in as the Obscured coldly laughed, the Jabberwocky stronger than ever before as it leered at her, insectoid mandibles slightly stretching out from its fanged maw, burning eyes gazing cruelly at her uselessly struggling form as he tried to break free.

"I'm sorry…I don't think you BELONG here!" He laughed out loud, his tail sweeping back and forth with glee as large, moth-like wings fluttered briefly behind him before spreading out wide, revealing a design in their center like a screaming, terrified face, mouth eternally open in a wail, a bloodied seal carved into his chest. "I could just let you off with a warning…but I really don't like you." He told her calmly.

It was, perhaps, ironically fitting that his voice was all-too-much like Heartwing's now, childlike, gentle, friendly, yet…yet with him, none of it rang true. All of it sounded false and insulting. He was mocking her with the voice of the best of them all. She let out a furious yell and struck his powerful arm with hers even as she felt the warm trickle of blood slowly dribble down past her ears.

"I'm sorry, can you breathe in there? No? **Good.**" He chuckled. "Just **checkin'**. Gotta be thorough."

"I have GOT to remember to get those gingko tablets…" Sari mumbled out. "Right hook, keep forgetting the right hook."

"What're you blabbering-"

… The bandages kept Heartwing suspended above the pool, their tethers digging deep into the roof and the floor as the poor little dragon managed to let out a screech, a faint afterimage of his true self momentarily visible, and gazing right at her.

"I'll have you down soon." Sari said with a grin, suddenly jumping away as a clawed hand dug down into the ground to grab her, missing her completely, along with his attempt to snatch her with a fierce right hook. "Let me explain how this works. You try to stop me. And you fail."

"You've got spunk. I like spunk. It tastes good going down." The Jabberwocky chuckled, Lord of the Obscured licking his fanged lips as his insectoid mandibles chittered eagerly, ready to taste her flesh as he lunged at her. "Your name is FOOD now, girl!" He roared, Sari leaping clear over him and expertly kicking the back of his leg, knocking him to the ground as he hissed.

"Lemme guess what you're about to say. "You will regret that, GIRL, for the rest of your life. All ten seconds of it"." Sari remarked coldly, waving a dismissive hand in the air as the Jabberwocky looked her over, claws digging deep into the floor as Heartwing gazed at Sari in awe, no longer struggling against the bandages, simply captivated by what he'd witnessed.

"You've got some sort of chronokinetic power." The Lord of the Obscured realized. "You ARE White's daughter, after all."

"For you, this is all happening for the first time. But we've had this conversation eight…no, NINE times." Sari informed him, walking slowly around to the back of Heartwing as she cheekily blew a kiss at him. "Well, this has been a barrel of laughs, but I'm takin' the money shot and runnin', Tall, Dark and Stupid."

"Then tell me something. Do you know what'll happen if you remove Heartwing from the bandages?" The Jabberwocky said.

Sari blinked. This was new. He hadn't asked her this before. Could it be that her constant "re-doing" of time was having ripple effects in the timestream?

"Yeah." She lied. "Manifest has no "Safe haven", the glamor drops, and you lose all your powers, making ME free to imprison you away from Manifest so he can't ever re-"

"You will KILL every living soul in Manhattan." The Jabberwocky said coldly.

Sari's smile dropped right off her face.

…

…

…

… "Come ON!" Junior roared out as he smacked the blunt of the scythe into Kualili's back, which now looked like it was raw hamburger meat. Josef had never seen anyone take such a brutal beating in his life, he was, quite frankly, astonished that Kualili hadn't passed out from the pain, or just dropped dead from the rampant blood loss. "Not so FUNNY when it's on YOUR end, is it, ya SADIST?!"

He kicked Kualili squarely in the stomach, the white-furred being letting out a grunt. By now the dawn had begun to break, Junior had been beating him for three hours now, and people had begun to crowd around, gathering at the sight. Far, far at the back, Manifest was trying to push his way through, he HAD to get there. This had gone too far. FAR too far.

"What do you think you're doing, Junior von Hamsterviel?!" Manifest roared out as he finally shoved his way through the thick expanse of crowd, Junior raising the scythe up to cut into Kualili's throat and end it all. He really DID wanna keep making this…this THING bleed some more, but he couldn't stand the "pleasure" of Kualili's company.

"You can't say he doesn't deserve it!" Junior screeched back at Manifest. "Let me kill him! He took her from me! HE TOOK MY BABY GIRL FROM ME!"

"Junior, you've not got the authority." Manifest said, speaking quietly, tenderly as he advanced, holding his hands up.

"I am the Grand Councilman of the Galactic Federal Alliance. I've got more power than a million kings, more authority than a hundred presidents, and more resources than GOD!" The furious "Temperance" growled back. "And I hold the **final** authority in my paws, Manifest Destiny…"

"Vengeance isn't justice, Junior." Manifest told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "BLOOD isn't justice. Think about what you're doing."

"I KNOW WHAT I'M-"

"**THINK** about it!" Manifest said, grabbing Junior's head and turning it to look right at his rainbow-colored eyes. "…Junior. Come on, buddy. Look at me."

"He…he k-killed, he…"

"Look. At. Me." Manifest insisted softly as Junior's body began to quiver madly. "You're not mad with him, are you?...you're more mad with yourself. Because you couldn't be there for her when it really mattered. Junior…let it GO."

With that, the levee broke. "…Izzyyyy…" Junior finally sobbed, burying his face in Manifest's shoulder as Josef gently walked over and removed the cape from him. "She was my little baby...she was my baby girl…"

The scythe had dropped to the ground…and a black-clawed hand now picked it up, Kualili rising as the cracks began to form around his body, a horrifying, singular eye gazing out from a broken-open "Piece" on his face. People screamed in terror, Junior, Josef and Manifest turning to see Kualili's full transformation as a disgusting fleshy membrane like white gums began to seep down the scythe, heading to the blade. Before their eyes the blade turned white and huge, elongating and expanding into a giant fang that was now dragged along the ground, sparks flying as Kualili advanced, mumbling as his head tilted back and forth.

**_"Oh, sad was the day for the little bisque doll when they cut all her stitches away… and found the seat of the terrible ache, "twas a delicate task" they all say…for none of the surgeons had ever before performed on a dolly's inside…"_**

"Run." Josef whispered.

"But you'll-"

"RUN!" He screamed back at them, as Junior and Manifest took off with the rest of the crowd, leaving Josef alone with the Carnal in the alley as Josef raced towards the palace, the Carnal following after, continuing to sing.

"**_They tried to re-stuff her but didn't know how…and THIS WAS HER WAIL AS SHE DIEEEEEEED!_**"

…

…

…

… Josef tore through the streets, panting and heaving. How, HOW could something so big and huge be so damn fast?! Every time he turned around, the Carnal was still that same distance away, only a hundred or so feet behind him, still singing that creepy song in that broken, scratchy, pained voice…

On the bright side…he appeared to be in the middle of literally coming apart at the seams. Kualili's eye gave it all away: it was an effort just to stand, let alone hunt down this prey before him.

But Josef had reached the palace doors, and yanked them open, slamming them shut and locking them behind him as he raced up the stairs against hard floor.

The palaces of the kings and queens of this world were all shaped by their brain waves, their thought patterns. And right now, Kualili had LOST his mind. Now there was no light, there was nothing but the coldness of an empty mansion, cold and hard, with long, concrete hallways lining through the abandoned-looking home of the new White King…and stairs leading up into an empty void.

There was a new kind of chill in the air. It hadn't been like the chill in the town, oh no. That was a sort of pre-wintry chill, the kind one felt one went outdoors at two in the morning in the middle of October. This was very different. This felt like the inside of a damn meat locker, somebody had cranked up the air conditioner to "Deathly cold" levels, making Josef shiver involuntarily as he raced through the inky blackness, the crackling of wood telling him that the Carnal was coming through the door, locked or not.

The inky-black corridor was long, and the air was getting colder, damn near freezing. Josef's breath came out in wispy little clouds as he finally reached an enormous set of double doors, pulling them open with a mighty yank.

He gasped at what he saw. A perfect recreation of his room back at his old home. The trains on the wallpaper, the cozy little bed, bouncy to the touch…the closet with the dartboard, gold-tipped darts stuck in the walls to the side…he'd been an awful shot. And…

There. A picture Kualili had made with fingerpaints, his very first, his very last…of him and Vladimir. Josef held it in his hands, amazed at how warm and happy the room felt to him. Was THIS the true "heart" of the new White King?

The doorway. He turned to see the Carnal, clutching his dragging weapon in one tightly-gripping hand, eye blazing as it looked him over…

And then the thing collapsed on the floor, beginning to literally UNRAVEL before Josef's eyes from the feet up. The weapon began melting into the floor as Kualili began to quietly cry, his body shaking as he lay there, dying slowly. Josef wasn't sure what he'd do at first, but when he kneeled down and stroked Kualili's cheek, he did know. And he did it.

"**_ I've got a pain in my sawdust, that's what's the matter with me…something is wrong with my little inside, I'm just as sick as can be…"_**

And with that, Kualili's eye looked squarely at Josef, and saw him. **REALLY** saw him for who he truly was.

"…Vladdy?" He whispered out.

"_** Don't let me faint, someone get me a fan, or else make a run for the medicine man…"**_ Josef, aka Vladimir murmured, trailing off as he hung his head, eyes closed as a single tear trickled down his cheek. "Oh, Coochy-Coochy, I…I wanted to tell you so many times, but…but I got scared…and I got kinda scared of YOU…"

"…I wanna stay." Kualili murmured out, as an unmistakable smile began to form on his face, his chest slowly unraveling into tiny white string. "I can stay for you, can't I? Please, can't I just stay?" He whispered.

Josef turned Kualili onto his back, resting his head in his lap as he looked down at him, the tears slowly plopping down onto his friend's face. Neither one could do anything but cry…and cry.

"_I want to stay…_"

…

…

…

…it's not that hard at first. Once you get over the initial shock, anyhow. But there's so much to do, so many details, it takes so long to set up the funeral…get everything just right. Pick out the right casket. The right clothes to bury her in. Decide on when you'll have the wake and the funeral itself. Then figure out what you'll do with her things.

Judah asks for her earring. He can have it. He won't get anything else from me.

Little by little, there's less and less to do, as you finish the process of erasing a **life** from our own. And then, eventually, you go on with living your life, realizing how totally alone you truly feel.

But the funeral's not over yet. And so I, Junior von Hamsterviel, stand over her casket.

Green. Where is she? What will I say to her when I find her?

Does HE feel what I'm feeling?

I'd like to think he does. That there's enough of me in Regent to know the truth. But what am I gonna do…what is "normal" for us here in this Reversed world?

It wasn't too long ago that I would have thought "normal" for me was doing page work for the Grand Councilwoman. I wanted to be in politics. I wanted to help people. Instead, something else happened. I BECAME something else.

And yet, with every step…there was a price.

It's not fair. Why do the people we love have to be collateral damage to the life we're living? Why does ANYONE have to die at all? What good came from my baby girl-

Josef almost didn't show up. But he came in at the end. Said he had a song he wanted to sing. Somehow, I think he's singing for more than her. I don't think I care.

I just sit here in this folding chair with the others, as he gently plucks out a soft melody.

And I allow the memories to creep across my mind like vines across an old house wall.

**_There's nothing you can say…  
Some things just can't be fixed…  
Every word sounds the saaaaame…  
It's such a shame…such a bittersweet kiss…  
I can't sleep…_**

_**I wish it was your fault,**_  
_**But I can't say that you were wrong!**_  
_**You know there's no one I can blame!**_  
_**We knew it couldn't last, still we held on far too long,**_  
_**It's much to late to be sorry for it all!**_

_**You've been hangin' on, hangin' on,**_  
_**And tomorrow's gonna come…**_  
_**But I'll be gone tooooniiiight…**_

_**You've been hangin' on, for too long,**_  
_**Don't you knoooow…**_  
_**Everything is not alright…**_  
_**This is good bye…**_


	25. Regret and Ruin

REVERSAL

25  
REGRET AND RUIN

Heartwing found himself wrapped in a world of warmth and sleepiness. It was hard for him to stay awake. All he could really feel was…arms. Arms lovingly wrapped around him.

"What's…what's going on? Where…where am I?"

_Birthflesh._

"What…who?" Heartwing slowly opened his eyes wider and wider, seeing the arms that were holding him tightly. "What's going on? I…I…"

So sleepy. So very, very sleepy…no, NO, he had to stay awake. He tried to get his eyes back open, but there seemed to be a film before his eyes that made everything so blurry. He could barely make out the texture of the arms, but…there was something off about it all.

_Birthflesh. Little birthflesh._

"What's going on? Where am I?" Heartwing murmured out, feeling the arms tenderly squeeze him, a soft cooing echoing through the air.

_Birthflesh…have given my old home new life. Little birthflesh. Soon, whole world will need you, birthflesh. _

"I…I can't move." He mumbled. He could barely see what was in front of his face, but he could almost make out a form that was slowly rising up…and he could recognize it. "…you?"

_Other world's flesh…is not pureblood from you, Birthflesh. But once all but those here are good little eggs, it will begin. The transformation will take place, and little eggs will become beautiful brood._

"No, no, you can't, please, you're _killing_ them-" Heartwing began to scream out as more arms began to wrap themselves around him, the warmth rising in his body as his voice became suffocated.

_Sleep, little birthflesh. Sleep._ The voice whispered, becoming almost high-pitched…childlike…

"No…"

_Sleeeeeeep…_ The voice insisted, it's tone rising, becoming like foul static.

"…n…no…"

_Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…_

…

…

…

…the Infection. There was no better word for it. Whether it was spread by viral means or a pathogen was still up for debate. Whether an unfortunate could get infected through direct contact or not was a matter that still confused the Majestic Council, now diminished by the loss of the Caterpillar, the White King and, earlier in the week, the Red Queen's death, killed during a freak accident some distance from the battlefield.

It made one delusional, see things that weren't there. You heard very strange noises and sounds. You saw things that were impossible, disturbingly twisted. Innocent people could see others as monsters if the Infection set into them, and then, in the end, it claimed what remained of their humanity…transforming them into one of the very monsters they saw others as.

And, most tragically, a terrible bout of Infection had come to Yurp. There were less and less survivors by the minute. Though the former Red Queen had been swiftly delivered to the safehouse in Manhattan that Manifest, "The Hand of God" had set up, along with a large amount of the "best and brightest" of Yurp…there was little hope for the country. The war they had raged was over.

It would all be over soon.

"As the person whose children fought against your daughter and her forces, I want you to know that I couldn't be happier you lost the war." Junior said snarkily to Melanie as she sat, dignified and quiet, drawn to full height as best she could in a chair in the dining room. "As a believer in democracy and rule of the people, I couldn't be happier that Yurp's "chosen by god" queen got to eat a big fat helping of crow that was so huge she choked to death on it."

"…she's waiting for the "but"." Green said angrily, giving Junior a deathly glare as she put down her fork over her hash browns and folded her arms.

"So am I, baby." Junior chuckled, Green slapping his face. "I needed that." He mumbled apologetically, as B gave him an angry glare from behind the white mask he wore on his nigh-featureless face. "Even if your daughter was a horrid, pretentious, stuck up, pompous gypsy-murdering ass who had the GALL to think God wanted her-"

A large tray of butter, with the butter still atop it, smacked squarely into Junior's forehead, Esther von Hayden-Muir lowering her arm and grinning triumphantly as Erick nodded in approval.

"Nice arm!" Daveigh complimented as she sat near her "mom", feeding her baby some mashed peas as Ashton poured her some orange juice. They'd all been nice and safe in Manhattan, they weren't afraid of anything here. Not if they were together.

"Little league. She made every pitcher her BITCH." Erick said proudly, ruffling his daughter's hair.

"I deserved that too." Junior mumbled as the butter dribbled down his forehead.

"Ya sure did, ya great big galook." Esther, aka the "Reversed" Empress of the Major Arcana, Lilo Pelekai, snapped at him, one eyebrow raised as she folded her jacketed arms across her chest.

Junior wiped the butter off with a single paw and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "What I'm trying to say is that, as a CATHOLIC, know that I feel very, very guilty about all of those feelings, Red Qu-"

"Just call me Mel." Melanie Jones's reversed counterpart insisted quietly, sighing as she poked at her scrambled eggs. "…my daughter's gone because she's lost."

"…I'm sorry." Junior apologized gently as one the Manhattan dragons brought in a large plethora of drinks, others putting away the already-cleared plates. "I was really insensitive."

"Ya THINK?" Ashton snapped. "I've got another tray of butter right here, buddy…just say the word, Esther! Just say the word!"

"I hope I never have to go through what you did, and I apologize for my remarks." Junior informed the former Red Queen, putting a paw on her shoulder and patting it.

What none of the individuals in Manhattan knew though, was that this was not Junior. Regent, the Cracked, had disguised himself as his better self, had taken Green away for one purpose and one purpose only: to take everything that had belonged to Junior's life and make it HIS.

The real Junior was near catatonic with grief, staying in the room where his daughter had died, and unable to move from a chair, despite urging from everyone around him. Nobody felt it safe to leave him alone, out of fear he might commit suicide. Now it was King's attempt to try and sooth Junior's soul as the serpentine magus sat next to Junior on the floor, seeing the vaguely hamster/rabbit/rodent thing stare sightlessly at the wall, not really seeing anything but his daughter.

"Junior. Please, talk to me."

Nothing but silence.

"Junior, I have lost my own children. Not once, but twice."

King sighed deeply and put one hand on Junior's shoulder. "Believe me. It does eventually get better. Not with time, but with the love of those around you. We're strong together, we'll get you through this together."

"Junior, please, just say something."

"…you don't…KNOW…what I'm going through." Junior hissed angrily. "I was always, ALWAYS there for my children. I helped Ann through school. I taught Charles and Zeri all they know about law and order! I was a tender father to Izzy and Judah! I supported Remiel through the Seminary and supported Ember's desire to leave home and pursue her dreams! You didn't even know where your children and your wife WERE, you just assumed she left!"

He stood up, eyes blazing as he pointed down at King, his long antennae lashing at the air behind him. "You DON'T understand what I'm going through, King! NOBODY does right now! And nothing you or anyone else has to say is going to make me feel better!"

"I have something that'll make you feel focused."

King and Junior turned their heads to see, of all things, Sari, nursing a sore cheek. "What happened to you?" King asked, a concerned expression on his scaly face.

"Just had some trouble with a freakin' dragon. Now listen. Junior. Regent has Green at Manhattan."

"…what." Junior stated, his voice dead, low…and soft, with an edge.

"He wants what you have. That includes children."

"…WHAT."

"You'd better get going pretty damn quickly if you wanna stop this. He doesn't know about Izzy yet either, so-"

"**I'm going to gut him like a pig!**" Junior snarled furiously as he tore out of the room, growling furiously as King and Sari looked from each other to him, King biting his lip.

"How the devil do you know all about this? How do you always know so much?" He demanded at last, pointing a black claw in her face.

"…because I need to fix this." Sari murmured quietly, holding onto herself as her voice slowly dropped, the princess president tapping the floor with her bare feet. "…because I HAVE to fix it this time. This time I've got to get it right."

"Get-what're…" King's eyes widened. "You're a chronokinetic, aren't you?"

"For you, this is all happening for the first time. But we've had this conversation NINE times. Sari informed the serpent anthro. "I tried to go help Heartwing, but if I do that…I'll kill everyone in Manhattan, the only people who are…well, I guess "right"." She sighed. "Right because they weren't really born in this world from anything natural, but from what's in Heartwing."

King raised an imaginary eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"…King, the Infection…there's something I should have told you a long time ago. Something you need to know…about this world." Sari said as she slid down the cold wall and onto the floor, holding her head in her hands and shaking it back and forth. "Ohhhh…DAMMIT!" She yelled. "GOD…damn it! I know so much…and yet I keep finding out I can do so little!"

King gently sat down next to her and patted her back as the pink-haired girl continued to speak, her voice still quiet and subdued. "It ain't fair." She murmured. "…it just ain't fair."

Meanwhile, B rested one hand against the wall, gripping his head in one hand as his mask lay on the floor of the bathroom he was within. He could hear him.

He could HEAR Heartwing. He could hear them all, truth be told. Hear them crying and begging and sobbing.

"Please. Please, STOP." He whispered to the darkness, the silence giving him an answer he knew he had only one thing to say in response. "I can't help you yet, please…."

The silence returned, demanding, practically screaming for him as he shook his head back and forth.

"Please, PLEASE, stop. There's…there's too many of them…please, just sleep…just SLEEP."

"Sleep…please, just sleep…please…"

"…help…please…" Heartwing's whisper echoed again and again, pitiable and tearful.

"Please…please, there's too little of me…too **little** of me…someone, please…" Blacky murmured, the Force of Fate unable to stop the tears from coming. "Someone _please_, help me…"

…

…

…

…things were going topsy turvy for Junior, and Sari was about to drop a **bomb** in terms of revelations. But they weren't the only ones who'd had big issues to contend with. Far from it.

Grey Nicholas Pelekai had seen foul, unnatural beings enter his world from another. There was no contact with either Heaven or Hell. Nobody around the world seemed sure of what was going on, an air of uneasiness and doubt filling people's hearts. And then…there was the **other** thing…

He paced the parking lot in back of his convenience store, hands behind his back, brow furrowed as he grinded his considerably sharp and deadly teeth. He was in the midst of a moral dilemma, because you see, one of the hands behind his back had just been used to make a long-distance call. In fact, make several.

The conversations had all gone similarily.

"I know this is an unusual question to ask, but…it's about your animals. Have they been doing-"

"You would not BELIEVE what I've just heard!"

"It is simple remarkable, Mr. Pelekai. Absolutely remarkable."

"Bloody amazing. Simply bloody amazing, these two sheep actually-"

"Never heard a FOX talk to me before! Ranku practically screamed like a girl!"

"I think I may have to cease my dining upon the flesh of wombats from now on if all shall try to beg for their lives with a thick Newcastle accent the way that one did."

"…Grey? Grey, you still there?"

All the calls always ended the same way. With a very quiet…almost awed, yet almost scared…

"…I'll have…to call you back…"

The cricket and his friend, the deer, were sitting in the parking lot with him as clouds idly puffed by on an overcast day. The issue at stake was whether or not Daniel, the deer was going to LIVE. Grey was positively **starving**. He had to cut costs somehow to stay in business and buy nice things for his family. He had to have an edge in the market, and food was one of them. He lived off a diet of Icees, the occasional homecooked meal from his parents, and what he could get from nature, wild animals included.

But now nature seemed to be talking. Now nature was becoming sentient. His evening MEAL was sentient. He couldn't just eat something that was capable of debating whether or not it should be eaten!

Could he?

"This. Shouldn't. Be happening!" Grey yelled angrily, tugging at his ears as he let out a long, low groan and stomped his taloned foot. "Why?! WHY can't things just be simple? Why'd you have to start talking?!" He snarled at the deer, who looked slightly hurt by the words, and slightly disgusted by the spit flying in his face. "You're a freakin' DEER, it's not like you…UGH." He turned away, resting one clawed hand against the back of his store, growling angrily.

"Go on." The cricket spoke up. "It is not like he…what?"

"…can you sing? Can you compose a symphony or a song? Can you tell jokes or stories or anything? Do deer have anything close to "culture"? A person living in a shack in a tree in a loincloth might not be able to spell the word "Extrapolate", but he can still do basic math, he has speech patterns, he has SOME civilization, even if it's bare bones! But…but an ANIMAL?" Grey asked, gesturing back at them, shaking his head. "No, NO. This is just too much. It's all too much, first my family goes missing, then YOU start talking as those THINGS pop up in town and-"

"But **you're** an animal." The deer reasoned.

That…**had** not been the right thing to say.

Grey hadn't WANTED to look the way he did. He had not WANTED to transform into this Experimental-esque thing. He had rummaged through garbage, eaten wild mushrooms and slept under trees and cars because he'd refused to steal from others or break into their houses during the days when he'd had nobody to turn to. Long, lonely nights spent just **WISHING** he had someone to talk to about what he'd been going through, yet still trying desperately to just stay…HUMAN…to just stay GOOD and to not break the law or hurt people…

And now to just be called another animal?...by a dumb DEER? 

Well, said deer soon found himself being throttled as Grey's eyes bore into him. "I'm a human that just LOOKS animalistic." Grey growled. "I am the bestial side incarnate, but I am still part of humanity and always WILL be!" A dark, terrible urge was rising in him, one he was slowly finding harder and harder to ignore.

"But humans are animals."

"Humans are PEOPLE. I am a PERSON. People are capable of rational thought and comprehension! People can write stories and make songs and create dances and sand castles and Icees! People care about more than "What do I want to eat" and "How can I survive"! Animals only think about those two things! People need MORE from life because they put more INTO life! You're NOT a person!" He roared in the deer's face, a furious, glaring hatred rising in him. To think that this…this stupid beast was trying to put itself on HIS level just cuz it could talk?!

"Now hold on, I-" Daniel whimpered, trying to stand back.

"You're FOOD! AND I'M **HUNGRY!**"

The cricket gasped and leapt off his friend's head as Grey's tongue licked the deer's face before it slipped under Daniel's chin, his upper jaw stretching behind the deer's head, biting down and through the antlers. The deer's was is blasted with hot, moist bull breath as smacking, slurping, fleshy sounds fill his ears, as Grey nipping his mouth to close around the deer's head. Soon the deer's head was slipping into his throat and all was going dark as his head was encompassed by the slimy, slick, and powerful muscles of Grey's gullet, the deer's shoulders scraping gently against Grey's teeth as he kept swallowing, swallowing the deer down inch by inch. His warm drool oozed down the deer's body as his jaws reach the deer's chest, tongue happily licking and sliding around against Daniel's flesh, tasting it, pushing and swallowing as the deer's rump slid into his maw. He tossed his head up, jaws slurping the legs down, letting out a happy burp as he rubbed his convulsing stomach, Grey letting out another loud, rumbling belch.

"LEMME OUT!" The deer screamed over and over.

"Just relaaaax." Grey cooed, rubbing his belly.

"PLEAAAASE! LEMME OUT!"

"This won't take long, if I want it to be over quickly, and I promise, you won't feel anything. It'll be like going to sleep. All you'll feel is a little tingling, it'll be like sinking into a nice, warm bath." The grey-furred ¼ Experiment, ¾ Human offered in that same, cruel-yet-comforting tone.

"Please…please, I'm not..." The deer began begging as he tried to uselessly strike the slimy stomach walls, a daze slowly misting over his mind. "P-Please lemme go…you **have** to…"

"Why should I?" Grey asked quietly, solemnly. That same, cruel urge was still rippling through him, hooking its claws deep into him. "You can't create anything that'll make the world a better place. Can you write a song or create a cure for a disease? Can you tend to a garden or create a church or a hospital? You're not a human being. **You're not a person.**"

_"Give me some TIME and I COULD be!" _Daniel sobbed.

With that, Grey stiffened, eyes bulging as he drew in a harsh breath of air.

Give them some time…

_"…I wanna stay. I can stay for you, can't I? Please, can't I just stay?" _

In that instant, a deep, terrible guilt filled his body as he thought the final thoughts of Kualili, the White Knight…who had died, tearfully wishing he could have been better than a simple beast…wishing he could have stayed with Vladdy…wishing he could have been better than-

…Stitch. Oh, Stitch.

"…I've been so freakin' dumb." Grey muttered, coughing slightly before he let out a loud, roaring HUUU-LUUAGGGHHK, the deer being forcibly ejected from his mouth, dropping to the parking lot, heaving as he struggled to get back up. "So freakin' **dumb.** He had time to change. He had the potential to change. All things can change if they get the chance. You, those few others, you're just the start, this won't happen overnight, it didn't for my cousins, but…but you deserve the same chance he got."

Grey covered his face with one hand, sighing heavily. "I can't…I can't close the door on someone who needs a chance to prove they can be…good. And you and the others…you deserve that chance the way my cousins deserved it. One day…I could be calling you _Ohana_, couldn't I?"

"Word of advice: family doesn't stick family in family's mouths." Chester chuckled a bit.

"I am SO, SO sorry." Grey apologized, shaking his head back and forth. "I'll go get you a towel, Daniel."

"And a salt lick?"

"I'll getcha TWO."

But before he could, the Heavens above them parted. Beautiful, dazzling light streamed down from the heavens above as the Earth shook beneath their feet. The wind began to gust furious zephyrs that swept through them and sent leaves cascading into the skies as the unmistakable sound of giant, tolling church bells echoed through the air, Grey's eyes widening along with countless others at the beings that were descending from above and ascending from below.

It was an experience that seemed indescribable in its joy and happiness. Grey found himself slowly falling to his knees as tears began to brim in his eyes. "I…I can't believe it…"

"But you do believe it." He spoke to Grey, smiling simply and giving the ¼ Experimental American ¾ human a small nod. "You've always believed in me and what I stand for, no matter how terrible life may have gotten for you."

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." A gentle, tender hand on his shoulder. "Justified by your faith, your strength, your love."

"My GOD…"

"We've got so much to talk about. And there's so many people I want you to meet." He chuckled, gesturing with one hand at the plethora of both heavenly and diabolical hosts behind him.

"We've got a lot to talk about, Grey." Staccato said cheerily as he stood with his fellow archangels, giving a big thumbs up. "So much to catch the world up on. Mostly about the "thou shalt not murder in God's name" thing."

"And I've got a few friends I think you'd be interested to see." Snizzi added with a big grin as he patted one such "friend" on the back, trying not to touch her wings. Lillith, Slayer of the Firstborn, was very sensitive, after all.

"We've come here because the boundaries of this world are being ripped open stitch by stitch. Now, more than ever, people need certainty and purpose…now, more than ever…we shall justify faith." He proclaimed.

…

…

…

… "You should turn on some lights. You're going to ruin your eyes." Green remarked as B looked through a seemingly-empty warehouse, eyes intently gazing around the room as his black-cloaked body stayed rigidly in one place.

"I thought a bartender such as you enjoyed the dark." B said in his unique, strangely unsettling voice. It was somewhat childish in tone, and yet…etherealness filled it.

"Junior's down the street looking for someplace we can eat a nice vegetarian lunch together, but I saw you ducking into this place, even if nobody else did." The brown-haired pastel-tie-dye-wearing Experimental American said, frowning as she rested her black-clawed hands on her hips, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly as she raised one finger and formed a small burst of flame with her pyrokinetic abilities.

Light illuminated the room as Blacky slowly removed his mask, chuckling as he turned to Green. "I am quite fine, really. I appreciate the gesture, but I don't need your help."

"You're an Ideal. Your idea of "fine" is usually everyone else's "perfection", so drop the "distancing" act and just tell me what you're lookin' for. What's new, pussy cat?" Green chuckled.

"What's NEW is that THIS is what was here until last night." Blacky said, holding up one paw and blowing purplish dust through the air, the dust flittering about and forming into the outline of definite shapes…specifically, the shapes of two dragons…and one president.

"…well." Green said quietly, raising an eyebrow.

"The shining light of their soul, _kokoro_, left a residue. They were all here together. For some reason, Sari didn't let Heartwing go, or he'd no doubt been at breakfast with us, cooking chocolate chip pancakes for us all."

"There's gotta be SOME reason-"

"There IS. She can't help him." Blacky murmured as his tone became solemn, sad…and he suddenly began to sniffle. "And I can't either." He realized. "…all my power, and I can't, HE'S keeping too close an eye on him. This town's safe right now, as long as there's nothing to keep HIM from-"

It was then that a loud, roaring cry echoed through the air outside and Green and Blacky bolted out to see none other than the Lord of the Obscured himself, the Jabberwocky, slamming his clawed fists into buildings, towers and halls toppling as dragons ran for their lives alongside the terrified refugees from other countries that had been shipped in. The Best and the Brightest of the world were all running for their lives. Truly, fear was universal.

_"Distraction. Yes, yes, this could work." _Blacky thought to himself.

"He dares pull this sort of thing here? NOW?! Oh HELL no!" Green roared out, clenching her fists as she activated her inner gravitational control powers…

Or rather, TRYING to. The headache struck again and she let out a scream, falling to her knees as she gripped her head. "It's…oh GOD, it feels like I've got a thousand knives sticking into my skull!"

"I'll take care of this." Blacky muttered darkly, putting his mask back on as he rose into the air, slamming a fist against the Jabberwocky's cheek, sending the enormous, pale-skinned dragon reeling back and away from a crowd to fall squarely on Times Square. All of the square shook as the Jabberwocky glared up at Blacky, who held his fists tightly as burning energy swirled around them.

"I've grown tired of waiting. He intends to kill me anyway before he deals away with the Cracked. So why not go on my own terms?" The Jabberwocky hissed as he grabbed ahold of a large street lamp and batted Blacky back through the sky as he chuckled, his voice like a thousand cockroaches all hissing together.

"You will NOT be harming anyone here." Blacky, aka B, said coldly. "I enslaved Cloak's body. I made him **beg** for an end I never really gave him. You're no stronger than him. You're just a mad dog." The cloaked Force of Fate shot forward with a power fist that slammed into the Jabberwocky's forehead, knocking him back some more as building walls were scraped away, the enormous dragon laughing as his wings spread wide.

"Finally, something we agree on! Like I NEED a reason to kill someone. Like…say…YOU!" Jabberwocky laughed, his spiked tail shooting forward and aiming at Green, who was still clutching her head…

Only to have a sudden large burst of acid slough down atop it from the roof above as Junior, aka Regent, lowered the barrel he'd summoned up with his Temperance powers, glaring furiously at the evil counterpart to Heartwing. "BEGONE, Obscured. I'm not letting you harm her!"

"They are nothing. None of them matter. Not even her. Let her die. Let them **all DIE!**" The Jabberwocky roared out, holding aloft a claw and tearing through the air as a rippling shockwave of energy pulsed out to slam into the roof Junior was on. Junior, or rather the Cracked, leapt clear off and landed by Green, quickly picking her up.

"Once more I sweep you off your feet." He chuckled as the Jabberwocky's tail lashed out, tossing pieces of the roof in their direction. "Makes me think back to our honeymoon. We had people throwing chunks of roof at us THEN too." He added as he ducked to avoid one such chunk, tearing down the side street and past Manifest, who was directly traffic…or rather, REDIRECTING everyone to be directly behind him. He had a plan.

The Jabberwocky pulled his jaw down as if it was made of elastic material, a disgusting, slimy ooze of dark, rotting, liquidy flesh and gore billowing out from within as dark smoke rose up from his gullet. The sun began to become extinguished, a visible choking sound echoing through the air as Manifest swept his arms to the side, the burning, caustic slime passing away from the Manhattan residents behind him, including an enormous amount of camera crews who were capturing the event for all the world to see.

B glanced left and right. He couldn't find the Jabberwocky, but he COULD hear Heartwing's choking cries. He knew where Heartwing had been moved to, and dove up through the air towards the sun as the Jabberwocky lunged at Manifest. The World was busy now…it's heart was under attack…Heartwing would be free.

He…would…not…be…silenced!

Manifest raised his fist up just in time as Blacky's fist found the mark.

THRUCKA-KRAAASHK!

It was like a thousand bones shattering as the Jabberwocky began to slowly peel apart into little, tiny chunks, his eyes opening wide in horror as everything that he was slowly fell to the ground, piece by piece as Blacky carefully caught the falling Heartwing, who's scaly, almost cooked-over body fell into his arms, heaving and wheezing as the cloaked figure descended towards Green, who held a cold dish rag over his head as she and "Junior" quickly escorted him towards a nearby free clinic.

And as for the Jabberwocky…little remained, save for his eyes, which stared up, widening slowly as Manifest raised his foot up.

They squished like grapes below him as he turned around to face the crowd, nodding solemnly.

"You need fear your enemy any longer." He said calmly.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore." Blacky told the green-scaled dragon in his arms tenderly. "There may be so little of me…but it's enough this time…it's enough."

The cheers of the people of Manhattan were deafening, but the reporters still managed to catch Manifest's "good side" as news of him single-handedly saving the "hope of the world" began to be broadcast across the globe…but the real Junior, watching on a ship heading for New York City, narrowed his eyes, holding his jacket close to him as he thought about two things.

One, about the sight of his wife and that imposter being caught in the background of the CBS news…

And two…the weight of the revolver he held in his vest pocket.

…

…

…

…King folded his arms, tapping his foot as Patty stood by his side in the private bathroom that Sari was using for her test. She'd gotten a sample of blood and flesh from Patty and was trying to view it under a microscope. "Take a good look." She informed the serpent. "A good, careful look."

Her voice was like the one of a doctor who had to be the one to give the life-changing news to a couple. The BAD kind of life-changing. King hesitated for a moment, unsure if he really wanted to take a look at the samples Sari had brought, one batch being his wife's…

The other two being of a normal person from THIS realm, a test sample…and a sample of one of the Infected.

But his inner medicine man won out and he stepped up to the microscope, comparing the flesh samples. Odd. There was a strange sort of texture just barely visible on the flesh of the "normal" individual from the Reversed world…it was as if that person's flesh was made up of a veil of words that every so often flickered out of the corner of your eye. You couldn't see it directly, not at all, but every so often…

But the blood was what made him reel back in horror. For the blood sample of his wife…was a fine, normal-looking match.

Just like the sample that matched the "Infected" human from this Reversed world.

It couldn't be. He compared the "Infected" blood to the "Normal Human" sample…again, he saw the veil of words, but…but there was nothing wrong with the Infected sample at all. Nothing. No veil of words was present. It looked perfectly normal, how could blood from somebody who turned into one of those THINGS look like that unless-

"There IS no Infection, is there?" King finally spoke up.

"No." Sari murmured. "…no, there isn't. Those people aren't being turned into monsters. They were monsters to begin with. They didn't know it for so long, but when those in this world "get" it…and have no reason to resist…no reason to remain good…"

"Manifest isn't "curing" them. He's just keeping up an illusion…he kept everyone's mind off of really looking AT the infection and towards what HE did…" King went on. "Redirection, all of it. Sari, tell me!" He whipped around and grasped her arms. "You know how this ends, don't you? What's going on? Is Junior going to be alright? What is Manifest's plan?"

"…it's the World. It's ALWAYS the World." She told him quietly. "…I can't beat him, he's got an avatar in every Infected and there's so damn MANY of them now and I…"

The tears trickled down her cheeks. "I don't think we can fix it."

King held her shoulder as he sat her down on a nearby chair. "Tell me everything." He insisted. "Go back to the beginning. How did this happen?"

Sari wiped her eyes on her arm, taking deep, long breaths before she finally spoke, softly, quietly, sadly.

"Evanescence and I found each other. We were **lost**…separated from the people we loved, just trying to discover where we belonged. When HE died, the boundaries between the worlds shifted a little, and the two of us found ourselves slipping into this realm. In fact, even know the rules of reality are shifting about!

I was young. I was really, really young…and I found myself replacing someone just like me. Once I arrived in this world, it was as if they never were. I was bothered by that…bothered by how I could see what people REALLY were when nobody else could…

I would have grown up terrified if not for Evanescence. She and I joined, and we could make ourselves look exactly the way people expected us to look. Nobody was any the wiser over what we really were. And with my powers slowly manifesting, I realized I could do so much once I realized I could turn back time!

I WANTED to go back twenty years. To be back with my dad. Instead, I couldn't go any further back than THREE years. And ironically, in just a little over **two** years…the Infection would spread to everywhere but here. Manifest is going to literally be the world's only hope. They'll all turn to him. And then…with the power he'll gain from that…he'll turn on all of them, and destroy this world."

King sat patiently, folding his hands in his lap as he listened. He was, in a way, horrified by this revelation. Manifest had always seemed so trustworthy, so upstanding, and yet…hadn't there been that little nagging doubt in the back of his mind? That maybe this white-haired do-gooder was too good to be true? Why else had he collected all the pieces of the Seal-

The Seal. Oh no. There was still two pieces left. And a question…a question he loathed to hear.

"…how many more months until the Infection spreads to the rest of the world?"

"It'll be the 5th of November." Sari muttered, looking down at her watch. "Manifest just saved all Manhattan from the Lord of the Obscured. He'll be holding a big party for Esther and her father at the safehouse…and he'll have The World kill her there, whilst Junior deals with his other self. I try to stop him. Blacky tries to stop Manifest after he saves Heartwing. But we always fail. And when those we're all lying dead by night's end…the radio waves will grow silent…the televisions will show nothing but static…and Manhattan will be surrounded by a world of the corrupt."

"Nothing ever changes?"

"I've TRIED other things before. I tried to kill him, but even when I DID kill him, he's back in less than a year, like a damn comic book villain!" She yelled angrily, punching the wall and gritting her teeth. "I don't know what I'm gonna do! Even WITH my piece of the seal, B's piece and YOUR pieces, the Seal of Metatron can't stop-"

It was then that an idea came to her. "That's it." She whispered quietly, coldly. "I should have seen it."

"What?"

"What IS time, King? I'll tell you…a railroad track. We're on a section of track: the fifth of November. And up ahead of us is another section of track called the sixth. What if I could curve the track? Have it be the fifth over and over again? Yes…" A horrible, foul smile spread across her face. "He'll never come back to life. The Infection won't ever spread…because I'll live the fifth of November all over again, again and again and again and **tomorrow will never come!**"

…

…

…

…Regent grinned inwardly, a deep, peaceful look of joy on his features as he looked across the bed, thick red blanket draped over him and Green as his antennae under the covers twitched slightly. He wasn't sure why…but whenever he was near her, he felt so…comfortable. Safe. Happy. Here, in this moment, he had everything he wanted.

"That was wonderful." He whispered happily. "It feels like this is a moment of peace in a hurricane…the eye of the storm, an eye so large it'll never end…and I don't ever want it to."

"I know what you mean." Green admitted with a slight chuckle before she sighed, leaning on her right side, looking at the walls. "But I keep feeling that…that there's something I'm forgetting…something important."

"All I want to remember is this moment for the rest of my life." "Junior" insisted as he beamed at her, stroking her back. "Oh, you're so beautiful, Green. So absolutely beautiful…"

He stood up then, heading for the bathroom to do his business, closing the door and looking in the mirror…

As it reflected his true, armored form. He gasped in horror, clasping his paws over his mouth. What in the…how?

"You could have done it. Why did you settle for less?"

"No, not yet." Regent insisted to the reflection. "Not yet! This has to be savored, I want her to trust me, to love me! I can't just take it from her!"

"You want to be like him. But you're better than him." The reflection chuckled coldly, steepling his pointed nails. "Don't you want a child like the ones he has?"

"I want her to love me." Regent whispered as he took off the mirror, putting it backwards and sitting on the toilet as he held his head in his hands. There was little need for the manipulation of emotions he was so good at now…everyone practically worshipped the ground Manifest walked on, especially after this most recent development. Nothing was stopping him from finally having a family…having a son to carry on his name…or a sweet baby girl…

But he kept thinking about Green…kept thinking about Judah and Izzy, off in foreign lands…and for some reason, every time he thought about Izzy, a dark, terrible emptiness welled up in his heart. A feeling so big and terrible it made him want to cry.

He had wanted to be just like the newcomers. Just like Junior. To feel and do as they did. But he knew the truth…and it made him sick of himself. Even though the wine no longer dribbled down from empty eye sockets...Regent's eyes, when unguarded, were still monstrous. And he kept seeing them every time he looked into the mirror.

Even if he ended up having Green bear him a son or daughter, he knew it. He knew he didn't want them to look into his eyes and see that monster.

He thought long. He thought hard.

And he thought about the about the weight of the revolver he held in his vest pocket on the chair outside…

…

…

…

…Junior gripped the railing of the ship, looking left and right, sighing quietly as he leaned against the railing. His ears drooped down slightly as his tail shifted back and forth, shivering slightly. It wasn't that the chill of the ocean was getting to him. It was Oskar's stories.

Oskar had been the only one in Yurp to get out before…the end. Josef was trying to work things out with The Communist Party, the fate of his people at the forefront of his mind just as the fate of Yurp was at the forefront of Oskar's mind. The Yurpean's wrath was staved…because they now had an Infection to halt. One that Oskar knew they couldn't…that's why he was here.

And his stories about the…THINGS…walking the streets where he'd once gotten his daily scones from gave Junior unease.

"I'm sorry for telling you all this, I know it must be unsettling to you."

"I've seen and heard worse." Junior insisted. This was true…but Oskar's tales WERE bothering him. He kept worrying about the others, how long before Carolina and Lewistania were claimed by the Infection? He trusted King's magic to get everyone to safety if the need arose, but even that great magician couldn't mass-teleport entire populations…

Oskar then began coughing heavily, sticking his head over the railing as he let out a horrible burst of phlegmy mucus from his mouth, Junior patting his back…realizing how COLD Oskar felt…

And feeling something.

A bump. There was an unmistakable bump in the middle of his back. As he slowly passed his paw down Oskar's back, Junior's hair stood on end as he felt several ridges of bumps passing underneath.

"Oskar." He whispered. "…Oskar, you're Infected."

Oskar slowly turned to look in Junior's eyes, tears brimming in his own, his pupils beginning to turn soulless and empty, the vitreous fluid gaining a bloody tinge to it.

"It _hurts_." He whispered. "…it hurts so much…"

Junior knew, then and there, that if he didn't do something fast…nobody on that ship was going to live.

He thought about Oskar…about how his tomorrow would never come…

Because he was also thinking about the weight of the revolver he held in his vest pocket.


	26. The Woman Who Murdered Time

-  
REVERSAL

_"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;  
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me  
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,  
This day shall gentle his condition;  
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed  
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,  
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks  
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."  
— William Shakespeare, Henry V_

26  
THE WOMAN WHO MURDERED TIME

"This is…a lot to take in." Zechavya Archimedes Cadence Kendall insisted as he looked straight into the eyes of a fairly-dark-skinned and quiet-looking 30-something year old in a white robe with the light of a halo around his head, and a face as peaceful and beautifully gentle as a lamb in a pasture. "…I might need a few years, in fact."

"Would it help if you…had a drink?" The man asked politely, holding up a bottle of water.

"I don't drink, really."

"It's just water."

"I smell wine."

"Heh-heh. He's done it again." A long-bearded being in bright golden armor who was missing an eye chuckled, adjusting his high-horned helmet as he stood by his goldilocked son, one of many in a bright and colorful pantheon of gods and goddesses. In fact, it was quite possibly the greatest assembly of seemingly mythological figures that any of them had ever seen.

"This is…WOW." Coraline said as she looked up at the sharp-nosed but tender-faced woman in front of her. "You kinda remind me of my mom, has anyone ever told you that?" She asked the toga-wearing woman, who was passing out cookies to the assembled people of Kokaua Town.

"My young child, this woman is Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth and Home." A jackal-headed god with a very muscular frame and Egyptian attire told her, nibbling on one such cookie as he sat with Grey, who was pouring a cup of coffee for a familiar rainbow-scaled serpent that had joined them for the occasion and who was speaking to Walt the Water Snake about the little things. You know, animals beginning to develop larynxes and sentience, the complete and total **structural collapse of reality**…

"I'm like everyone's mother, dearie." Hestia said politely. "Cookie?"

"Put that cookie down!" He proclaimed. "We do not have the time. I'd enjoy making time, really, but this is a serious matter."

"Come on. Cookie." Hestia insisted, holding the plate up.

"…fine. ONE cookie." He sighed as he took a chocolate chip cookie. "Now…" He spoke through crumbs that sprayed everywhere. "Some of us have lived here in secret upon Earth for quite some time. Others stayed in…less socially acceptable places." He added, glancing over at a section to the far right in the town square, where Samael was speaking with some old friends.

"So, so the idiot takes the grenade, right?" Samael chuckled as Vassago leaned on his enormous sword, listening intently as a giant three-headed dog sat nearby, one paw adjusting a pair of tiny glasses on each head.

"Yes?" Cerberus inquired.

"And, and it explodes in his hands. So I say "Are you alright"? And he says…"

"This is the best part." Snizzi chuckled as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"And he says… "Fine! And you?"."

"As I was saying…the time has come for us to put aside whatever differences we may have had in how we do things. The time has come to handle things. _Decisively._" He went on.

"Why didn't you ever show up before?" Zack suddenly asked, all of the Pantheon turning to look right at him.

"So we, the people who pretty much picked up your race in one way or another every time you fell on your behind, the people who saved you from natural disasters and answered prayers and, occasionally, fended off demonic invasions…have to handle EVERY single bad thing that happens on the planet? You **HONESTLY** can't stand on your own two feet? You have to keep relying on us for **ev****erything?**" The Lord of the Dreamtime inquired, sitting at a table with a very beautiful-looking New Zealander woman. "Yes. That is a FINE way to show how wonderful you humans are: _crying to your mothers and your fathers and your nannies whenever you get a cut on your finger._"

"**HEY!**" Zack yelled furiously.

"Thy lowly wrech who slithereth upon the plains of the great island liveth in a trailer pahk." Odin intoned as he folded his arms across his chest, his one working eye closing. "But he speaketh truth. We should not HAVE to be called upon in this day and age, a day and age when, for the most part, thou art capable of solving or rectifying nearly every terrible thing that befalleth thee! Even IF magic were remov-ed from thy world, the bounties thou hast reaped over the years hath greatly advanced thee."

"We can't hold your hand forever." Jesus agreed. "A good parent has to know when a child needs independence. We **can** offer support. Step in as a last resort, a VERY…last resort. But that is all. And this is one of those times when we have to step in for the good of everyone."

"You still don't believe they're who they say they are?" Page asked Zack, who turned away from the angelic-looking experiment 620.

"…y'know…I'd like to." Zack admitted. "…but right now, my faith doesn't feel important. If you can offer ANY assistance in getting our friends back and in fixing this…this TOTAL breakdown of the rules of reality…I'm happy to have you here."

"We ALL are." Lilo Pelekai said as she shook HIS hand. "Well and truly, with all our hearts."

"There's much work to be done. We shall separate our forces across the globe, for even now more portals to the Reversed Land are soon to open." Odin insisted.

"And unfortunately, because they're not natives of this reality, they're not subject to all of its laws. Otherwise we would have just sent some lightning onto that deer YOU fought." Anubis told Grey. "No, we have to resort to the…cruder methods. They that spawn from the corrupt shall face our wrath and be torn asunder!"

"This whole fight could rip reality apart. And it may end up doing that." Hestia admitted quietly. "…we're sorry that it's come to this. And that there isn't anything else we can do."

"There is…something else I have to say." He spoke up, all eyes upon him as absolute silence reigned. It was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. "I know that many of you have always tried to pride thyself on taking the moral high ground _whenever possible._ And there's been few times that you couldn't do that. But this is one of those times. I must insist, Major Arcana…that you and your friends not hold back an ounce. The only thing these…things…will succumb to is**extreme force.**"

"We hope." Samael added quietly. "…we hope."

"Well, hope springs eternal, doesn't it?" Lilo asked with a smile.

…

…

…

… **_"My girl wants to party all the time! Party all the time! Party all the tiiiiime!" _**Manifest sang out as he wiped himself down in the shower, shaking his booty. Unfortunately he wasn't able to finish the song, because he was soon alerted to the phone ringing wildly. He frowned. Why was he getting a sense of…déjà vu?

He picked it up. "Y'ello? Talk to me."

"Manifest."

"Sari? Princess, baby, how are you doing? How's it going? Look, Daveigh and Ashton are having this baby shower for Patricia's children-"

"Wait, CHILDREN?"

"Yeah, evidently she's got twins!" Manifest said cheerily. "Erick and Esther are setting up the decorations. Mel wanted to come, but she came down with the flu or something. So do you think you come? It's tomorrow morning, 10:00."

"…I'd like to, sure. But…can we talk privately?" Sari asked quietly as she twirled the phone cord. "…tonight? At dinner?"

"…as in…a date? Like old times?" Manifest said, stiffening a bit as he began to stutter like a schoolboy. "I-th-that is, I'd…I…er…I…y-yes! Of course! I-I'll see you at…at six?"

"It's a date."

With that, Sari hung up, Manifest quickly putting the phone back on its hook as he tugged at his hair. "Oh crud, oh crud, oh CRUD, I've not got any cologne, my good cloak needs washing, my personal hygiene's mediocre at best without my vanilla body bath wash, WHY did I lose that?!" He moaned, slapping his forehead as he headed out the door and down the hallway.

Odd. There was a crack in the middle of the left-hand side. A very odd-looking, almost perpendicular crack. Could it be that-

If it was the Clipped fooling around with him, he'd deal with him. He had a full schedule this week. After all, he had that shower to go to, he had 500 human beings to test for corruption, he had to kill Esther and Regent…

But he could make time to put that…THING…in its place. Oh yes, he could make time.

BRIIING! BRIIIING!

"Two calls in as many minutes. I'm so popular." Manifest chuckled as he reached for the phone again. "Can't be Conan O'Brien, the Eastern Seaboard's all but-" He began to say as he put his ear to the receiver.

"We're comin' through, dude! Get away from the receiver, as in NOW!"

"Oh bloody-GAH!" Manifest quickly jumped back as Frequency, carrying Ember and Josef, landed on his carpet, Josef's body a chillingly limp, bloodied and bandaged mess as Ember put an icepack to his head, Frequency laying the young Romany on the couch. "What happened?" The white-haired Messiah inquired in surprise.

"What happened was that the Infection hit the Romany." Ember explained quietly. "…and it hit them hard. Josef's the only "normie" left."

"WHAT?!" Manifest's eyes widened. "He was supposed to leave them-"

"Who's "he"?" Ember said quietly, red and green eyes narrowing darkly, fiddling around with the watch she'd been carrying onto, passing it over and over in her paws.

"…I suppose you deserve to know the truth about my plan." Manifest admitted as he sat down in a nearby chair and held his head in his hands, feeling the hair slip between his fingers. "…I'm tired. I'm so tired. I put it off for so long…because I loved it. I loved…being appreciated. That's all people really want, isn't it? Being appreciated? But…but I'm tired, tired, tired…and I need to finish things."

He leaned back in the chair and pointed upward. "Do you know how the world came into being? Because I'll tell you when this one did. Nick used to say…nobody's born into the world hating it. Not even these people. But 6000 years ago, that's when this world was truly "born", because that's when it became the shadow, the leech hanging of the arm that is your world. And when I found that out, I had to admit…I thought this world was beyond saving. That it wasn't worth it."

"…I'm waiting for the "but"." Ember remarked as Frequency checked Josef's temperature, momentarily glimpsing inside of the watch.

"God would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah. All Lot had to do was find just 10 innocent people. There weren't even that many. Including children. Including women. What does that say about the two cities? There weren't five good people in either of them to make up the necessary ten?" Manifest asked darkly. "So I wondered…are there even 500 good people in this world? 500 good people that prove this place isn't work NUKING OFF THE FACE OF THE UNIVERSE?!" he roared angrily, rising up as he pointed at the sky. "**IS THIS PLACE EVEN WORTH SAVING?!**"

"Dude, if you're half the guy you're trying to be, then you think it is." Frequency told him, waving a dismissive paw in the air.

Manifest's furious look became a gentle, peaceful smile. "Yes. Because I found that minimum and then some as I traveled this world. Look at Josef. Flawed kid. Really proud. A bit selfish, but…" He kneeled by the unconscious Romany and patted his shoulder. "He's done so much. He's really one of those people that you can't help but admire at the end of the day. And as I kept meeting people like him…people who didn't give in to the So-Called Infection no matter how many times others around them did, I realized…maybe this world was worth saving."

"So then what are you going to do?" Frequency wanted to know. "C'mon, spill."

"…I need all the Major Arcana dead for the plan to work. And…that means Lilo's counterpart is…" Manifest trailed off. "…but I can't do it…no. No, I can't." He insisted as he held his face in one hand. "The World? Of course. Regent? Yes. But…but not her. I keep seeing HER face every time I look at Esther and-I just can't kill her."

"…I could." Frequency said quietly, twirling the butterfly knife he always carried. "…and I guess I'm gonna hafta."

"You're a sick person." Manifest told him quietly. "And you KNOW that, don't you?"

"I've made a living out of being sick towards those more messed up in the head than I am, dude." Frequency said, shrugging. "It's my job to be that way so nobody else I care about has to be."

"You might not get the chance." Green's voice rang out as Daveigh and Ashton burst into the room, King by their side nursing a wounded Erick, who was clutching a terrible shoulder wound. "We've got an problem. All the other guests are gone from their rooms. And when we went to go check on Esther and her dad, guess who I found there? The…" She shuddered. "The THING that was impersonating my husband."

"If Junior's not here…where IS he?" Manifest asked quietly. "…and if Esther isn't with you, then…where is SHE?"

…

…

…

… "I'm sorry about this." Regent informed Esther, who was lying unconscious outside the building, in a patch of grass underneath a small apple tree. The black-armored being looked left and right, a hesitant look in his eyes. Was there anyone around?

…no. And that was what bothered him. Nobody on the streets. No birds chirping. No squirrels in the trees…he couldn't even see a single fly or gnat. It was as if the whole world around him had been stuck in a bottle and everything but he and the form were its only inhabitants.

It was time. He could never have what the true one had…and his father was long gone, but…but at least he could have one final comforting consolation prize. Carefully, Regent's body began to revert to the strange, liquidy substance that frequently leaked from his true appearance's eyes, the soothing wine pulling Esther deeper and deeper into a warm pool of euphoria. It wouldn't take long, it would take some time for her to recover, and by then he would have already worked his way in and assimilated the most vital components of her mind. Soon she'd think only his thoughts…feel only what he felt. Part of the collective being that made him who he was…

"M-must…g-get out…" Esther mumbled.

How naive. There was no way to escape, the Cracked thought to himself, suddenly sensing something rise from Esther, images, so plain and simple…that of her father, and that of-

…that of HIS father and…and of...

It was...him?

_"I can't leave you here without…we've got a responsibility to share!" Esther von-Hayden-Muir refused, shaking her head as she stood in his laboratory, the good doctor holding the small puffball that was their child in his arms. "I can't be separated from you! We promised that we'll always be together! I won't leave you here, and not when we have a child-"_

_His father turned away from her. She could not his face, but Regent could, and he knew he was crying, sobbing. Regent already knew, no matter what Esther said, his father had made up his mind._

_"Please. You have to go back home. Your father lost his beloved. He can't lose you too. And…and you're n-not really losing me." He insisted. "I…I'll always be with you, my beloved."_

_This... was love. True love. Was…was that what 620 had felt for the people Regent had killed? He knew it was. A love for everyone in the town, because some people had hearts so big they could welcome all into it…_

_"Every day that I spent with you was a wonderful one. And I couldn't have been happier to have loved you."_

_"I can't do it! Please, don't talk like this! I'll do anything! Just don't leave me!"_

_Just…don't leave me... Don't... leave..._

"Her father. Couldn't I could keep them together, if I just absorbed them both? But... that... would be wrong..." Regent hesitated.

Right and wrong. There was enough of that still left in him. Leftover scraps that had turned into something more valuable than anything he'd ever had before, scraps he'd picked up the more time he'd spent around those people from that wonderful world.

He could never live that life they had. He couldn't live the right way.

He heard it come up behind him. He heard its whispering laugh.

No. He couldn't live the right way.

But he could die the way they would.

"He'd really do it." Blacky thought to himself, resting against a nearby alleyway, dark eyes intently gazing upon the Cracked thing. "…not bad. Not bad at all…"

"Have at you." Regent said, depositing Esther on the ground as he leapt through the air, fist held high, cape billowing out behind him, finally looking like a true member of the Pelekai _ohana_, and finally feeling a real sense of triumph, even as the wings enveloped him and he felt his body slowly slough away. A real sense of triumph.

Victory is counted sweetest by those who never truly taste it…

_I am sorry, little egg._ It said to him. _I'll try and make this as painless as possible..._It went on, Regent's consciousness barely lingering.

_You're not really going to die…_ It added gently, a final tint of compassion as it began the process that was so ironic, seeping into him gently, like water into cloth. Regent's eyes slowly closed as he felt nothing but warmth and a growing connection as he melted into the World.

So much...so many emotions in this one, it thought to itself. Even the leftover scraps it had been gifted with had the faintest trace of the Truth, the right way to live. It was almost overwhelming. But he too had known pain, loss, love…

_Accept this, little egg…the warm glow of love…_

Esther slowly opened her eyes.

She saw ITS true form.

And she screamed.

…

…

…

… "Oskar, calm down." Junior insisted gently as he held the young lad's shoulder, the kid panting heavily as the cries of the Infected rang through the air. They'd hidden themselves in a closet inside the ship…and were still quite a ways away from shore. And, more importantly, Junior's molecular density, like his wife and his mother…was too damn great. He couldn't swim. And his father was a horrid swimmer too…

If they could get to a lifeboat, they had a chance. But he had to deal with Oscar, the bumps on the poor lad's back bulging a bit as Oskar began to mumble nursery rhymes, his eyes becoming glassy, his skin becoming hard like a doll.

"Little Jack Horner sat in a corner eating his Christmas pie…"

"Oskar. Focus. PLEASE." Junior told him, a genuine hint of fear filling his voice.

"Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to get a poor dog a bone!"

"This isn't working. What's it going to take?" Junior thought out loud as he heard the Infected getting closer and closer to their closet. If he couldn't get Oskar quiet…

He COULD just knock him out with the revolver he had, but…but Junior didn't want to hurt anyone. Not ever again. Not even Regent. So how could-

"See saw, Marjorie Doll, Jackie shall have a new master!"

"Coraline." Junior said quickly, his eyes turning a shade of violet as he looked straight at Oskar, who slowly turned his head.

"…C-Cor…Cora…line?"

"Oskar. Tell me about her. Tell me everything." Junior spoke softly, as old feelings of familiar love began to well up in Oskar, amplified by Junior's empathic powers. It wasn't quite manipulation. It was more along the lines of amplifying what once was.

"…she was…" Oskar began to say, his skin beginning to lose the shiny quality it had been getting, returning to normal as his eyes became less glassy. "She was perfect. She was…so headstrong…so passionate…so authoritative…"

"She's a strong role model for you, eh?" Junior said gently as he patted Oskar's shoulder and continued speaking in a persuasive, faintly melodious tone. "Tell me more."

"…she has this smile." Oskar spoke softly as the bumps on his body began to retract bit by bit into his body. "This little, tiny, Mona Lisa smile that I always love to picture in my mind…"

"Picture that smile, Oskar." Junior insisted quietly. "Close your eyes and just visualize it…think hard…think hard about her."

Oskar slowly closed his eyes, a pleasant smile coming over his face as silence reigned inside of the closet, the Infected finally passing by them…and moving along, making Junior breath an inner sigh of relief. It had worked. He had been right. No matter what world he may have found himself upon…words would always have their power.

…

…

…

… "Esther, are you alright?" Heartwing asked gently as he caressed her cheek, looking deep into her eyes with clear concern. He'd brought her to the others inside of their temporary home as Manifest went to go pay a visit to Sari for their private dinner date.

Esther, however, wasn't talking. Her skin was pale, her eyes were tiny pinpricks, a visible miasma of pure terror had been left on her and she was shuddering with every single breath. She had been screaming for so long that they doubted there WAS any voice left in her.

"What did exactly did she SEE?" Erick wished to know as he shouldered his sword, thinking about cleaving whatever she'd laid eyes on into so many pieces you could have made a chop suey out of them.

"It SAW that…the thing I saw." Heartwing spoke up. "…I don't know how to…I'm not sure how I can talk about what it LOOKED like because…" For a moment a terrible feeling of pure fear tinted his tone as he quivered a bit. "…it was just-just…I…"

"That bad, huh?" Daveigh said comfortingly as she sat on the couch with Yuna in her arms, Ashton handing Heartwing a glass of milk, the draconic experiment 421 taking tiny sips as Ashton handed one to Esther.

"When it spread its wings, it…" Heartwing shuddered again. "I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks. And Blacky went AFTER it."

"He must be suicidal." Ashton groaned as Patty looked up at the clock, blinking a little, wondering where King was.

"No. Just…very vengeful. But what else can you expect from the Force of Fate?" Heartwing sighed quietly as Frequency continued to care for Josef, who was mumbling something under his breath…Ember walking outside of the room as she glanced down at her watch.

"Fifteen minutes." She murmured. "…fifteen minutes…"

"But I can track Blacky down." Heartwing told them all. "…we can find where that thing is hiding. In fact, I'm certain I know exactly where it is…"

Meanwhile, Sari was sitting with Manifest even now in a cozy little kitchenette, a Felix the Cat clock hanging off the walls and a red and green checkered cover sprayed across the large table they sat at. They were sitting in ordinary-looking wooden chairs, eating an ordinary-looking meal of spaghetti and meatballs, but what was NOT so ordinary was that Sari had brought in a bottle of sherry with a bright red bow on it, which she was even now pouring for Manifest into a long and tall glass.

"Normally, I don't drink." Manifest admitted. "After all, Nick didn't drink."

"To be fair, most alcohol made him vomit." The Princess chuckled as she passed the drink over to the white-haired nonhuman. "Come on. Drink up. To my last day on Earth!"

"Oh, Sari, what're you saying?" Manifest said, looking clearly disturbed by this sudden revelation.

"I don't need the Secret Service. But I do need to still see doctors every now and then. And…and I got the results of a test back. I…I definitely have breast cancer." Sari spoke softly, lowering her head, gripping the table cloth a bit tightly as she chewed her lip.

"…I'm-I'm so sorry." Manifest murmured.

"Please, drink up. I insist. To my last day on Earth." Sari informed him. "Eat! Drink! Be merry!"

"At least you look very nice. Dressed to kill, really." Manifest went on.

"Heh. Apt phrase." Sari said as Manifest swallowed down the sherry. "…mmpgh. Weird aftertaste!" He admitted, smacking his lips.

"I've packed all the things I've ever wanted to do into this day with my powers." The pink-haired girl informed him. "Evanescence and I have truly indulged all our most wonderful whims." She said, gesturing around the room at the things that lined the walls and poked up into the roof.

"I see." Manifest remarked.

"I've smoked Cuban Cigars. Bought wine made in the year of Haley's Comet. Bought tons and tons of useless, plastic stuff, all for the point of indulgence." Sari went on as she held up one such cigar, taking a deep puff. "All for my last day on Earth!...and yours." She added quietly, eyes narrowing.

"My-what?!"

"As I said, I packed all the things I've ever wanted to do into this day. There's one left…killing you."

"WHAT?! Why?!" Manifest's rainbow-colored eyes widened in horror. "What have I ever done to you?"

"What HAVEN'T you done to me?" Evanescence's voice growled out. "You've been a thorn in my side for eons. Or at least, the being you imitate was. And then, when we were trying to carve out something of a happy existence here, WHO should pop up…but YOU. A you that knows who we are and had the GALL to try and ask us out on…on a DATE. And…" She trailed off slightly. "…and who we…tried to love and…and…"

"You JUDAS." Sari finished. "You and I are history. But that's not the real reason why we're doing this. We've seen the future, Manifest! We know everything. Your plan ends with everything getting blown into oblivion. Well…" She steepled her fingers, leaning back and grinning coldly. "We won't let that happen. I'm a Chronokinetic, remember? I'll prevent the future from happening."

"Prevent the…you're insane." Manifest said quickly, chuckling. "Heh-heh-heh. That's funny."

"Laugh away. You ain't gonna laugh long!" Sari chuckled. "I'll trap time in this room and never let it out. I'll curve the track of time. We'll live November Fifth all over again! Instead of continuing into November Sixth it'll be November Fifth from now until DOOMSDAY!" She told him coldly.

"I'm leaving, Sari." Manifest spoke coldly, standing up…or rather, trying to.

"I'm sorry, you were saying something?" Sari inquired as she held her hands together, smiling cruelly as an eyebrow rose up slightly on her face. "Oh, right. You were leaving…try it if you CAN."

"I…I can't g-get out…get out of this chair!" He gasped out, twitching slightly.

"You shouldn't have drunk the sherry." Evanescence said calmly through Sari's mouth, giggling a little. "**Your** glass contained a slow poison. How dreadfully rude of me to treat a guest like so. Too bad. There's an antidote in that salt shaker. Think you can reach it?"

"C-C-can't…can't m-move…I…" He grunted out. "Y-you…I…"

"It shan't do you any good." She went on. "Now, now…just sit down. I wish I could say it will be a painless death, unfortunately, I was feeling very vengeful." She shrugged. "I probably need therapy, don't you think? Ah well. In a few minutes, it'll be midnight. That's when the spell shall begin. You'll visit me again…"

"No…NO…" Manifest gasped out.

"Drink the poison sherry again! Live again, die again! _LIVE AGAIN, DIE AGAIN!_"

…

…

…

…the sun also rises, as they say. It was November Sixth on Earth. The "right" Earth. The "normal" Earth. And for a brief few hours, everything WAS normal, as far as things went. People passed each other in the street, the clouds aimlessly drifted by through a blue sky as cars drove along long roads. Children sat in schools, listening to their morning lessons, adults spoke of matters of highest concern to the smaller, more personal things. People smiled, laughed, lived. It was normal. It was nice. It was right.

And then it all went wrong, as the sky seemed to split apart, and the things that spawned that which defied reality began to rise out from looking glasses. Pillars of mirror-esque substances rising into the air like javelins trying to spear the heavens, unholy, foul things slowly making their way out of the mirrors, making their way towards all things, be they animal, human or building. It did not matter. All that DID matter was that anything that was intelligent enough to get that these things were a threat was horrified at what they saw.

There was a saying. That it was horrifying for people to look into the mirror, and see what everyone already knew. But now the people of Earth were witnessing something much worse to look upon…for the things in the mirror were now here. They had wanted out. And they intended to take anything and everything…and then some.

A barely-describable panic settled over the people of Earth. Some of them began to run, tripping over curbs and trash cans, pushing open doors and leaping out of windows, ANYTHING to get away from these…THINGS that were emerging from the looking glasses that were appearing everywhere and anywhere, these THINGS that would not stop coming…

And then…

Salvation from above.

"FOR HONOR AND FOR GLORY!" Thor roared out as he and his fellow Norse gods descended from the cloudy skies above, filling the cities of Norway, Denmark and the Northern European countries, hammer meeting with pale and decayed flesh that was sloughing off and yet slowly growing back with every second. Some might have been horrified by the mouthless faces with eyeballs that dangled from their very sockets. Some might have run.

But they, like the Greek Gods who were descending onto the countries in the Mediterranean, were not.

"Coward! Thou art yellow with fear before the might of Zeus!" Zeus proclaimed as the muscular, bearded god held up a thunderbolt and launched it through the air, striking a large, hulking bear-like creature in the chest, right through its singular, bloodshot eye as Page's son launched a cauldron through the air, holy water flowing freely over a horde of similar fiends.

"No, that's just the color of their fur, sir." Jude informed Zeus as he nervously looked down at the locket around his neck, hoping that his wife was doing alright. Hera and Hercules had promised to look after them, but still…

A head went flying by and he turned to see Bellatrix waving cheerily at him with her brother David beating another bear-like beast to death with his guitar. She was doing FINE.

The Polynesian Islands had issues of their own. It wasn't that they were all yokels and stupid natives. The problem was that their government wasn't the best in terms of economic and militaristic power. Luckily, Niihau had offered up assistance.

"Never thought I'd have to do this." Senkoukura exclaimed as Makani concentrated, creating a large platform of air pressure for the inhabitants of Pilau to sit upon as the great white dragon strained his long, near-serpentine neck and opened his jaws wide, light convalescing around it.

"What is he doing?" One person asked a feminine experiment that was standing by an experiment with a diamond embedded in its chest.

"It's called the Light Shockwave." Orion explained, gesturing at the dragon as the enormous hordes of aquatic life gone horribly wrong swept through the waves towards them. "Also known as-"

**"Ranpu Shougekiha!**"

Light built up in Senkoukura's opened maw, swirling around to reach a center point, a large ball of teeming energy. The enormous dragon roared as a fantastically large of burning light shot out, twirling through the air like a ray of sunlight that was poking through a set of clouds, a ray of light ten thousand times more potent and deadly than anything the inhabitants of Pilau had seen before, a light beam struck the ocean and FRIED the oncoming beasts as mutated and foul-looking dolphins, cephalopods and shark were turned into smoking little greasy blotches that slowly settled to the top of the water like dead goldfishes.

"I hope you understand that my hatred of things like you is downright **brobdingnagian.**" Anubis quietly told the struggling "human" that was in his grip, crushing it in his dark-skinned arms as a being that looked it was the unholy offspring of a goat and a wolf began smashing a…well, also another "Human" with a large, spiked mace. "Regardless, this isn't personal." Anubis went on as the thing's head completely turned around and it opened a toothless mouth to try and project a sonic screech…a screech it never got the chance to complete for its lungs were soon crushed along with the rest of its chest, the body dumped to the ground.

"We've got "Bunnicula" and the rebel with the cloven hooves pulling their weight in Central America, they've joined with Quetzalcoatl and the others." Lilo explained as she pointed at a map inside of the Oval Office, surrounded by the other members of the Major Arcana that were present. "Charles is leading the charge in France and with Zeri's firepower combined with Stitch and Angel helping, they should be alright, especially since Star Command's sent help as well."

"All of my precious Arrowhead division is at your command." A sickly-green draconic being insisted, thumping his black-clawed fist against his white-armored chest, bowing deeply before the president, who firmly nodded.

"And in our states?"

"We've got Native American deities up the WAZOO. Myself included." A talking Coyote informed him, standing by Samael, who was going over a checklist.

"Hmm. Wait, hold on. Chulainn. Where IS he? We're missing a few of my associates. I can't find Hel or Jourmungdr or Fenrir anywhere, a portion of the Scottish pantheon's missing…a few of the minor Greek demons are gone as well. They'd best not be hiding." Samael mumbled darkly. "Or there will be ME to pay."

"We've got a worse problem. New York." Nightwing insisted quietly, sadly. "My beloved's doing all she can, but…"

Indeed she was. Haley Long was fighting alongside her brother as they belched flame from their draconic forms, an enormous black dragon struggling to pin down a skeletal thing that mocked him with a face too much like his own as a Native American in tribal paint wearing a nice-looking leisure suit calmly grabbed the head of an foul-looking "human" that had been threatening a woman and her child the thing's head dissolving at the touch.

"Who…ARE you?" The woman asked as he brushed his long hair back.

"Niłchʼi." He said, adjusting the tie he had on. "With luck, you'll be seeing quite a lot more-"

"Look out!" The woman yelled as another one leapt down from a tree…an all-too familiar thing with near-sightless eyes…red hair…and intestines drooling out of a mouth that opened wider and wider over "The Wind's" face.

Luckily, it never got the chance. The child had grabbed a rock and launched it at the back of the thing's head, striking it hard. It let out a bellowing shriek, and "The Wind" grabbed ahold of the intestines still hanging out of its mouth, throwing it into the air as Haley grabbed it. For a fleeting moment genuine regret flickered over her face as the thing looked at her, ceasing it's shrieking and struggling.

"…Hal…ey?" It managed to get out before she opened her maw, flames building.

"Will this damn thing not be GONE?!" The Dark Dragon snarled as he raised a fist up and crushed the thing's skull, turning to see his daughter holding a charred skeleton.

"…it wasn't him." Haley kept repeating to herself. "…it wasn't him…"

"You saved my life, milady. Niłchʼi thanks you." The being said, taking her hand and kissing it.

…

…

…

…**_"My girl wants to party all the time! Party all the time! Party all the tiiiiime!" _**Manifest sang out as he wiped himself down in the shower, shaking his booty. Unfortunately he wasn't able to finish the song, because he was soon alerted to the phone ringing wildly. He frowned. Why was he getting a sense of…déjà vu?

He picked it up. "Y'ello? Talk to me."

"Manifest."

"Sari? Princess, baby, how are you doing? How's it going? Look, Daveigh and Ashton are having this baby shower for Patricia's children-"

"Wait, CHILDREN?"

"Yeah, evidently she's got twins!" Manifest said cheerily. "Erick and Esther are setting up the decorations. Mel wanted to come, but she came down with the flu or something. So do you think you come? It's tomorrow morning, 10:00."

"…I'd like to, sure. But…can we talk privately?" Sari asked quietly as she twirled the phone cord. "…tonight? At dinner?"

"…as in…a date? Like old times?" Manifest said, stiffening a bit as he began to stutter like a schoolboy. "I-th-that is, I'd…I…er…I…y-yes! Of course! I-I'll see you at…at six?"

"It's a date."

With that, Sari hung up, Manifest quickly putting the phone back on its hook as he tugged at his hair. "Oh crud, oh crud, oh CRUD, I've not got any cologne, my good cloak needs washing, my personal hygiene's mediocre at best without my vanilla body bath wash, WHY did I lose that?!" He moaned, slapping his forehead as he headed out the door and down the hallway.

Odd. There was a VERY large crack in the middle of the left-hand side. A very odd-looking, almost perpendicular crack. He reached inside, pulling out a small note.

"Don't go to that date." He read out loud. "Sari will…try to poison you?"

Sometime earlier, a different scene was playing out. Ember calmly twirled her watch around in a circle over and over again as she listened intently at a door…listening to King speaking to his wife as she sat in her bed, looking left and right in the room she and King had been staying in.

"What's going on?" Patty asked, groaning a bit as she held her head. "The last thing I remember is…I was in the living room, Esther was...it was…what's going on?"

"Something's going on." King insisted to himself, frowning darkly as he rubbed his chin. "It seems like a dream, and yet…wait." His yellow/golden eyes widened in surprise, looking at the window. "Do you remember last morning? Just about this time we heard Manifest showering down the hall at around this-"

They tilted their heads, hearing the sounds of Manifest from the shower in his room only a few yards away. He was a VERY loud singer indeed.

"What's happened? What's happened to time?" Patty asked. "We seem to be living November 5th all over again! Oh GOD." She whispered in horror. "My God, people will go on living November 5th over and over again, nobody will ever know-wait." She blinked, sitting up. "King, why do we remember? Can we even bring a new day to a world that's trapped in another?!"

"Patricia, calm down." King insisted, taking her hand. "I think I know why. I've built up a natural immunity to many magics from my years of experience. And last night, when the change occurred, you were clinging tightly to me, you were in the aura of my will. That made you immune. If there's anyone else who's immune to time-related tricks and magic, then…" He sat up, narrowing his eyes at the doorway. "Sari. She's chronokinetic, isn't she? She could have caused this."

A knock on the door, and Ember's face poked inside. "Guys, can we talk to you?"

"What's going on?" King asked, frowning a bit.

"Josef's been hurt. Or at least, he WILL be. Frequency's about to bring him here. I'm here because you're the only one who can help, King." Ember informed him. "Patty, I'm sorry, I need you to help my baby, alright?"

Patricia stood up, nodding as she left the room with King, Ember shaking her hand with both paws. "I'll do what I can for Josef." She said, going down the hallway as Ember led King down the hallway.

"This way." Ember insisted. "The others won't notice us. We're out of the timestream, and as long as Patty is close enough to Frequency, she'll keep her resistance, okay?" The white-furred and orange-vested rabbit-esque being insisted. "She barely had any in the first place, I'm afraid…but if this goes wrong, she'll be able to remember and she won't be a part of the time loop WE'LL be stuck in."

"Time travel. So…confusing." King sighed quietly. "All wibbly-wobbly…"

"Hold onto your willpower." Ember insisted as she clutched the watch in one paw, clutching it tightly. "Focus. Keep holding onto me. Frequency and I have been living through this almost as often as Sari has. Stay focused…"

Meanwhile, back at Kokaua Town, things were hectic as well.

"May I say it?" Page nervously asked as he turned his head towards his personal hero, who calmly nodded as the angelic-looking experiment took up a fighting pose, facing down an enormous draconic monster that hissed coldly at him, it's tail lashing at the ground as it opened a hellish mouth and bellowed at him.

"And what do you think you can do? Who do you think you are?" The Hellmouth chuckled coldly.

"I KICK ASS **FOR THE LORD!**" Page exclaimed, leaping through the air and kicked the thing squarely between the eyes, once, twice, thrice, knocking it through the window of a diner. It groaned heavily, struggling to get up before Page's fists met with its face again and again and again, the Hellmouth becoming a punching bag for Page.

Grey was struggling to keep a psychotic "Hamsterviel" with a surgeon's mask made of flesh from tearing at Melanie Jones, who was trying to get a chainsaw working, whilst Gitte the Imp was tearing into an all-too familiar mockery of her master, a water snake biting into the false being's neck.

And the REAL Coraline was dealing with a worse sight…a being with pants made of patchwork flesh, a single eye poking out from a mass of hair, slowly dragging a pipe along the ground as it slunk towards her, leading a terrifying troop of similar fiends that had also armed themselves…beings that looked far too much like the people she passed on the street every day.

"How fascinatingly fascinating! A fight with myself! Talk about existential!" Dr. Hamsterviel exclaimed as he yanked "himself" off of Grey, who turned to see Melanie racing after a being that was holding it's own head up and racing towards her on tentacles that dissolved the ground around it.

"There's too many of them!" A yellow, cycloptic alien yelled out as he nervously gulped and brought the katana in his hands down onto a bulking, huge monstrosity with mouths upon its hands that mewled pitiably like a dying kitten until Pleakley struck it again. "Oh may Apollo forgive me, celestial light! Gracious and divine majesty…Lord of Fine Art and, eventually, Community Theater!"

"I think I saw him on the news breaking chairs over some of these thing's heads at a Greek diner. You can personally ask for forgiveness later." Coraline said calmly as she waved her arms in the air at the oncoming horde let by the Hellion. "Yoo-hoo! C'mon! Hup-ayah, hup-ayah!" She laughed, backing into a tool shed by her home as Pleakley watched with Coraline's mother, who tossed a tentacle off her shoulder before she looked at Pleakley.

"You've got red on you." She said, as he looked HER over. She was totally SOAKED in the stuff.

"That blood isn't yours, is it?" He asked nervously, stepping a little bit back.

"…not an ounce." She admitted. "Who SAYS women can't work power tools!"

"I **know**, right?"

They turned to see Coraline stepping out of the tool shed…holding up a push mower with very large blades held up high.

"I am your worst nightmare. An angry white American teenager with **power tools.**" She growled, advancing towards the things as everyone else who was a "normal" inhabitant of Earth quickly ran for it.

The spray of blood was nearly fountain-like as Coraline kept moving forward, panting and heaving as she held the enormous mower high up, the blades cutting through flesh again and again, knocking body parts into tiny chunks, squelching, pulpy noises filling the air. Coraline grunted a few times as she kept walking forward, someone's head flying, having been SOMEHOW cut in half from the mouth up. It landed in a nearby trash can, Melanie quickly popping the lid on it as she watched her daughter go to town on another one of the horrid zombies, pushing the mower down on it from above, slashing it into tiny little pieces so small that not even TWEEZERS would have been able to pick said pieces up.

The blood was now beginning to cake the ground around her like a foamy froth as one HORRID looking thing advanced that looked almost like Gitte, albeit…with it's head now resting upon an elongated spinal cord that was jutting up from it's back as it walked on all fours. Coraline hesitated upon seeing this thing, she'd been seeing some SERIOUSLY screwed up stuff today, but **this** really took the cake!

Luckily, she didn't have to deal with it. Grey leapt upon the thing in an instant and ripped the thing's head clean off, swinging it around as he held the other end of the spinal cord before finally bringing it down onto the ground with a bellowing roar, Coraline gaping in surprise as he jumped on what was left of the thing and began to messily devour it, Daniel the Deer gaping at the sight, the animal's own antlers coated in blood, a "human" eyeball left upon one prong.

"ANY OBJECTIONS TO **THIS** KIND OF MEAT?!" Grey growled out, momentarily turning his head at them.

"…nope." Daniel said quickly.

"You're good." Coraline insisted, Grey slurping up an intestine like a spaghetti strand as Coraline turned, only to have a torn-in-half imitation of her friend Wybie's INTESTINES rope out and try to suck her in towards a gaping chest cavity. She struggled to get her footing, there was so much blood everywhere it was hard to find a single spot on the grass that was dry! Luckily though, Grey intervened, having finished with his "meal", and cut the intestines off with a quick slash of his claws, the guts falling to the ground in a pile, the thing's heart pulsing as it "looked" up at her, two lungs lying limp at its sides, almost faintly pleading for mercy as it unmistakably whined.

Unfortunately, Coraline just grinned, blood dripping down her forehead and onto her sweater as she revved the push-mower up and lowered it down towards the intestines.

"Well." Melanie said as she wiped her forehead, looking around the yard as she scratched her head, Pleakley pushing a "human's" head off his katana as he shuddered. "I hope the others are having as much luck as…as…"

She looked down in horror along with the others as they saw the unmistakable sign of the blood that the things had had spilled on the ground beginning to slowly pool together…with the beings rising anew from the large pool, all laughing horribly, reborn from horror and coated in foul red…

"Damn it, will you just not **DIE?!**" Grey screamed at them in horror and disgust.

…

…

…

…"Laugh away. You ain't gonna laugh long!" Sari chuckled, Ember looking into the watch as King waved a hand in front of Manifest's face, the white-haired being looking, but not seeing. "I'll trap time in this room and never let it out. I'll curve the track of time. We'll live November Fifth all over again! Instead of continuing into November Sixth it'll be November Fifth from now until DOOMSDAY!" She told him coldly.

"I'm leaving, Sari." Manifest spoke coldly, standing up…or rather, trying to.

"I'm sorry, you were saying something?" Sari inquired as she held her hands together, smiling cruelly as an eyebrow rose up slightly on her face. "Oh, right. You were leaving…try it if you CAN."

"I…I can't g-get out…get out of this chair!" He gasped out, twitching slightly.

"Yes you CAN!" King insisted. "I could tell the sherry was poisoned, Manifest! Even if you WOULD destroy the world I would not let you die so ignobly! Stand up, Manifest! Stand up!"

"You shouldn't have drunk the sherry." Evanescence said calmly through Sari's mouth, giggling a little. "**Your** glass contained a slow poison. How dreadfully rude of me to treat a guest like so. Too bad. There's an antidote in that salt shaker. Think you can reach it?"

"C-C-can't…can't m-move…I…" He grunted out.

"Yes you can, Manifest! Come on." King growled out, gripping Manifest's arm. "Focus…attune to MY will…focus. FOCUS…"

"Y-you…I…who's…" Manifest mumbled, blinking a few times, slowly rising from the chair. "I…I'm free!" He gasped out, clutching his chest and panting heavily. "What's going-King?!" He gasped in surprise at the serpentine anthro. "What the…" He glanced over the table at Sari, who was frozen in time as Ember held up a watch in the air…a watch with a faint pink glow that was emanating around it.

"We did something that didn't happen last time, you did something you didn't do before." King told him.

"Get out of here. We'll deal with Sari." Ember said quietly, Manifest nodding and quickly leaving the room as Sari finally began speaking.

"It shan't do you any good." She started to say. "Now, now…just sit down. I wish I could say it will be a painless death, unfortunately, I was feeling very vengeful." She shrugged. "I probably need therapy, don't you think?"

"You've got no idea, sister." Ember growled, Sari quickly sitting up in her chair before she was suddenly frozen stiff. "My will! SUBMIT TO MY WILL…I. **DOMINATES** YOU." She growled, her watch hanging over Sari's head.

"Wh-what are you…" Sari began to murmur.

"You thought to condemn the world to an eternity of your own making." Ember growled. "You were trying to cast a time-spell over the world that would allow you to live a life of luxury! In your misguided, selfish foolishness you broke the laws of physics! Well…"

She slowly opened up the watch as the glow around the watch began to pulse and flicker as it became brighter and brighter, King gazing upon it in awe. It couldn't be…but it was. It was…a shard of Dream. Pure Dream. And not just any bit of that incredible power…

"You don't realize it." Ember spoke quietly. "But another you gave this watch to me. Gave this task to me. Even suggested this outfit. Did you think I was just wearing this for fun?" She chuckled a bit as the glow began to bathe over Sari. "Now you shall be punished. I'm putting an end to the time spell!"

"Y-You're…not…stupid as…you look…heh." Sari chuckled a bit as she struggled to move. "Neither you…nor your lover boy…"

"No, we're not." Ember said quietly. "That's why you picked me." She added with a small, Mona Lisa smile as the light engulfed Sari, who vanished before King's eyes, the snake blinking stupidly before Ember turned to look at him.

"Now listen." Ember spoke quietly, waving the watch before King. "We have seen how this could play out. And there's one way we can help you. Here's what you'll do. Look at the watch." She said as it slowly passed back and forth before his eyes. "Look carefully. Let my words reverberate within you…listen…listen…"

"…listen…" King repeated, entering a trance as his pupils began to dilate.

"_Number…One…this is…number one. The others are to come. Number One. The others are to come. Come here…come here…_"

"…Num…ber…"

"…_Number Two…this is Number Two. Number Three. This is Number Three…_"

"…number…four…this…is…"


End file.
